


Save Me

by ZenlessZen



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Brainwashing, F/F, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Major Character Injury, Multiple Personality Disorder, Possibly Unrequited Love, Psychological Torture, Saeran is Suffering, Self-Harm, Suffering, Torture, Zen's Third Bad End, they all are
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-03-13 05:56:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 32,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13564281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZenlessZen/pseuds/ZenlessZen
Summary: It had been three months since Zen had gone missing and Jumin was an absolute wreck. It couldn't possibly get worse than this.He was wrong.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I promise there will be a happy ending
> 
>  
> 
> We just have to go through the depths of hell to get there.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been three months since Zen had gone missing and Jumin was an absolute wreck. He thought it couldn't get worse
> 
> He was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this has a happy ending
> 
>  
> 
> We just have to go through the depths of hell to get there

It had been three months since Zen had gone missing and Jumin was an absolute wreck. He had spent most of his resources looking for the man and would have kept spending had Jaehee of all people not stopped him saying if he went bankrupt it would be of no use to Zen. Jaehee, Zen’s adoring fan, and fellow RFA member had to stop him from using up all his resources. That was how low he had sunken. He sat on his sofa glaring at the empty wine glasses littering the table. He had gotten rid of the maid and the chef, leaving him in solitude and increasingly aware of the hole Zen had left behind. Both in the RFA and in his mind. And every day without a petty argument from the white-haired male drove him closer to insanity. First Rika. Now Hyun. Why did every person he ever loved have to disappear? V was as good as gone as well, seeing as he was never around anymore. Even Luciel couldn’t reach him. He didn’t even know Hyun was missing. What could he have done? Maybe if he had sent more bodyguards. 

Maybe  
Maybe  
Maybe

Jumin wasn’t used to having ‘maybe’s in his life. He was always presented with the hard facts. Either the project succeeded or it failed. But Hyun was a maybe. He was chaotic and uncertain, acting purely on emotions rather than logic. He always found a way to defy Jumin’s logic. And he hated that. Or maybe he loved it.

Maybe  
Maybe  
Maybe

Should Jumin have confessed? Would that change a thing? Or would it have hurt more when Zen suddenly disappeared? Zen wasn’t like that though. If there was anything he was constant on, it was his loyalty. He would never have left without saying a word. And with that option out of the way, it opened up possibilities Jumin didn’t wish to consider. Zen in pain. Zen dying. Zen already dead. He stared into his red wine, his heart pounding with each horrible image that passed through his mind. The red wine looked too much like Zen's lifeless eyes. Jumin looked away. This had become a regular trend. Get drunk. Imagine horrible things. And lay awake at night unable to sleep as a result. Suddenly his phone rang.

“Hello?” He was aware that he sounded drunk. He couldn't care less. 

“Jumin! I found him. Zen is alive.” Jumin could feel his heart beat wildly at Luciel's words. Hope. Hope for once that he would be okay. That maybe it will all work out. 

Maybe  
Maybe  
Maybe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jumin has too many emotions about Zen


	2. Those Three Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was a Prince... Waiting to be saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Zen
> 
>  
> 
> Which means I torture him too much.

Z rushed towards the tower his hands clenching his sword. “Where are you, my Princess? For every day I wait to see you, and yet you have never come. Have you forsaken your Prince so quickly?” 

 

“Cut!” His director’s harsh voice cut through the scene. “What was that Z?! You don’t have enough passion in your voice. You seem down. Here. Have an energy drink.” His director tossed him a bottle. He caught it effortlessly in one hand. He never liked the taste of these energy drinks. He stared at the blue liquid in distaste. They always made him feel... hazy. He gulped down the bitter liquid before tossing the bottle back. His director looked at him, his mint blue eyes gleaming. “Why don’t you take a break Z. You’ve done some hard work today.” Z nodded and made his way back to his room. He crashed onto his silken white sheets and let sleep take him.

 

_ “Why don’t you take a break Zen. You’ve done some hard work today.”  _

 

_ Zen scowled up at the dark-haired man. And promptly sneezed. The man casually handed him a tissue, like it wasn’t a big deal. “You and your damn cat.” He muttered.  _

 

_ The man simply looked amused.“You agreed to this Zen. I offered you the teacup modeling job. You refused.”  _

 

_ Zen let out another sneeze. “Damn you, Jumin.”  _

 

_ Jumin opted to ignore him and instead examined his watch. “We’ll meet back in another half hour. You still have one more shoot to go.” Jumin walked off, leaving Zen alone in the photo shoot room. Zen sighed and picked up one of the fake roses they were using as a prop. He wondered why he had agreed to this. He idly tucked the rose in his hair and walked towards the elevator. He needed some fresh air, away from all the cat fur. Just thinking about it made his nose itch. Damn. _

 

Z woke up his head pounding. It was one of those dreams again. The false memories that the RFA had planted in him. After forcing him to take drugs and nearly whipping him to death, the RFA had made a new identity for him and made him into one of their own. Luckily the director had saved him, or else he would have been their mindless drone forever. They had a new victim now. MC. His princess. And as a prince, it was his duty to go save her. Z would never tell anyone, but something about this didn’t feel right. He wasn’t sure why. The first time he mentioned it to the director, he had grown quiet. “Z. Those dreams and this wrong feeling of yours are all false impressions made on you by the RFA. See those scars on your back. That was them. Don’t forget what they did to you.”

 

“They used me,” Z mumbled to himself. He started his stretches for his dance routine. Once his princess was saved, they were going to put on a marvelous show for the savior. Just him and his princess. Together. At Mint Eye. Safe and sound. 

 

Dance rehearsals had gone exceedingly well. The director smiled at him. “You did so well Z. You’re going to be a star.” Z beamed. Although those words sounded exceedingly familiar. He took a gulp of his energy drink and sat down in front of his dressing room mirror. 

 

_ “You’re going to be a star, Zen!” There was a red-headed boy sitting in front of the computer. His golden eyes gazed up at him, a smirk emerging on his face. _

 

_ “Thank you so much, Seven,” Zen said, smiling back.  _

 

_ “No problem. Now that video is posted on every social media site you can think of. Tripter. Fakebook. Rumblr. Enjoy your fame! Make sure you have time for us too, okay Zenny?”   _

 

_ Zen rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that.”  _

 

_ Seven leaned back dramatically in his chair, arm thrown over his eyes in mock despair.“Oh whatever shall I do? My friend will become famous and forget all about me. People will come from far and wide to see his handsome face and beautiful voice. And I.. I’m nothing compared to his skill! Oh, woe is me!”  _

 

_ Zen flicked the top of his head.“Cut it out, will you.” Seven grinned. Zen let out an exasperated sigh. “Besides, I won’t forget about you guys. We’re the RFA. Even if I get famous, I will still be a part of it.”  _

 

_ “You won’t leave, will you?”  _

 

_ Zen shook his head. “Never. You guys are like the family I never had.”  _

 

_ Seven gasped.“Oh, Zenny~”  _

 

_ “I take it back.” Zen said quickly before Seven could say another word. They both stared at each other for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing. RFA was family. _

 

Z woke up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He was slumped over on his dressing room vanity. He was feeling tired a lot lately. He didn’t know why. The dream left a pleasant feeling in his stomach. Which quickly turned to disgust. How dare the RFA fool him like that? He hated it. But no matter how much he told himself that, there was a small voice lingering in his head. What if he didn’t hate it? Z shook away those thoughts and was about to get ready for training when the door to his dressing room flew open.

 

“The RFA is coming to take you back. Now is your chance. You need to save the princess.” Z shot up at his director’s words and reached for his sword. He marched out of the building to see black helicopters whirring overhead. He had been training for this moment for three months straight. He was ready. But as he prepared to rescue his princess, he could hear the little voice in his head. He didn't want to save anyone.

 

He wanted someone to save him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmm I want Zen to stab me with his sword.


	3. Not Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't him. The Zen he knew would rather die than do this. This wasn't Zen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karate classes are useful for writing knock out scenes.

Jumin peered out of the side of the helicopter as it circled the green-roofed building. He could see a man with white hair staring up at them. Was that Zen? He could feel his heart in his throat. Seven was sitting next to him, looking out the other side. The helicopter flew lower until it was just enough for Jumin and Seven to climb out of using the flimsy rope ladder. Now that he was on the ground, he could clearly see it was Zen. He had traded his classic white coat for a black prince's costume, but it was still the same man. He regarded them, his head tilted slightly. His red eyes glittered with curiosity. Jumin didn't even stop to think something might be wrong. He strode towards him. “Jumin wait! Something isn't right! Why is he outside if he's a prisoner?” Jumin stopped. Luciel was right. Before he could process anything else, a blur of black filled his vision and cold metal touched his neck. “That's a real sword!” Luciel gaped behind him. Jumin groaned. 

“I'm aware Luciel, considering the fact that it's at my throat.” He swallowed anxiously. What was wrong? He knew the man always hated him, but he wasn't aware their animosity would lead to this.

“Where is she?” Zen spoke. His eyes were cold as the bore into Jumin's grey ones.

“Zen… what…” The sword pressed into his neck drawing a bit of blood.

“Don't call me that. Where is the Princess?” The who? Jumin was so confused. He winced as the sword pressed against the cut. His breathing began to get quicker and shallower. He was going to die. He didn't know how to answer the question and Zen didn't look like he had patience. If Luciel moved forward, then that sword would surely sever his head clean off. For once in his life, Jumin didn't know how to get out of this. What had happened to Zen? Zen hated him, sure, but he would never pull a sword on him. Was he acting? Was someone watching? Blackmail? No, Zen was the kind of fool who would die rather than do this. His eyes were cold, without recognition. They did something to him. They changed him. Jumin closed his eyes to accept his fate.

“You mean MC?” Luciel called out from behind him, voice slightly panicked. “She's at the cafe with Jaehee.” Jumin opened his eyes when he felt the metal leave his neck. Zen’s eyes were still trained on Jumin. 

“You. Redhead. Take me to her. And you. You're useless to me.” And with that, he raised the sword above his head and swung it down in a perfect arc. Straight towards Jumin.

Jumin felt himself being thrown down onto the dirt in a flash. He blinked as Luciel quickly rolled off of him. “They did something to him.” Jumin could only nod. His hand moved to touch his neck. Blood. Zen had just tried to kill him. Luciel scrambled to his feet.There was a blur of movement, black and white and red and yellow clashing. Both men were moving so fast, Jumin could barely make out what was going on. Suddenly the movement stopped. Jumin looked up to see Luciel staring at Zen. The sword was balanced perfectly in the actor’s hand as the tip of it pressed underneath Luciel's chin. He had amazing form. Had sword fighting always been one of his talents? Jumin didn't know what to do. He was powerless. Damn it. Money can only do so much. He felt like throwing up. When he was needed the most, he was useless.

“Would you like to die instead?” Zen asked softly. A new voice interrupted. 

“Don't kill him! He’s mine.” Jumin got to his feet and saw another white-haired man. His hair seemed bleached, unlike Zen's natural hair. The tips were pink. His mint blue eyes were seething. “I get to kill him.” Luciel went pale at the sight of him.Jumin could see recognition flash across his face. Before anyone could react, Luciel had ducked away from the sword and delivered a solid half-fist to Zen’s windpipe. Jumin winced as if Seven had hit him instead. The actor dropped like a rock to the ground 

“Sorry Zen.” Seven whispered. He reached down and grabbed on arm and slung it over his shoulder. Jumin scrambled to get the other side. The man seemed lighter than before. Were they starving him? The sound of a gunshot startled him. He looked back to see the other man, holding a silver handgun. His eyes were wide. Jumin looked at Luciel. He was pale. They pressed forward to the helicopter. They heaved Zen into a seat. Jumin sat across from him. The helicopter rose, adding to the queasy feeling in his stomach. Jumin looked across at the unconscious figure of the white-haired man. His side was soaked with blood. The gunshot. The one meant for Luciel. It had hit him instead. Jumin felt like crying. Luciel's face was grim as he tried to stem the bleeding. Jumin silently took off his suit and handed it to Luciel.

“Use this.” Luciel took it silently. He then sighed and dropped it.

“We can't do anything. It'll press the bullet further in and possibly infect it.” Jumin nodded. Luciel turned back to him. “You should stem the blood flow.” He said, gesturing to his neck. Jumin pulled off his tie. Silk really wasn't the best material for this. He pressed it to the side of his neck. “We'll need to get that treated. Luckily it was a small cut. Or else you'd be out cold and dying by now.” Luciel was uncharacteristically serious. Jumin wasn't surprised. It would be hard to joke around now. Of all the scenarios Jumin had imagined, this was never one of them. He hadn't imagined anything close. This was far worse than anything he conjured in his drunken state. 

“Things have changed.” He muttered, staring solemnly out the side of the helicopter. He felt like his throat was closing up. He was foolish for thinking just saving Zen would get everything back to normal.And for the first time in years, Jumin wanted to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's count every time someone stupidly rushes to save someone else without a solid plan.
> 
> Stupidity Counter: 1


	4. The Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is his Princess okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brainwashed Zen is called Z and normal Zen is Zen.
> 
> I'll be calling him both depending on his state of mind

Z woke up in a hospital bed. He groaned and tried to sit up before wincing. His side hurt. He looked down to see bandages wrapped around his torso. All he remembered was the director screaming at him to not kill the redhead, and then everything had gone black. “Zen, you're awake!” A voice called out. There was a girl in the doorway. She immediately made her way over to his side. She had long brown hair and bangs covering her eyes. 

 

“MC?” He croaked. Her smile widened. He quickly tried to get up.

 

“I wouldn't move if I were you.” Z turned to see a dark haired man standing in the doorway. The one he had tried to kill. He was still in the RFA’s clutches. He turned urgently back to MC.

 

“Princess, we've got to go.” 

 

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Where?” 

 

Z ignored her and turned back to the man.“Why are you here?” 

 

The man raised an eyebrow.“To see if you were alright. Isn't that why people visit hospitals?” 

 

Z scowled. “Why would you care?” He spat, making sure the venom in his voice was clear. “You’re the reason I-”

 

“Zen, can't you be nice to Jumin for once. He did save your life.” His princess sounded exasperated. His scowl deepened. They had already gotten to her. She believed they were good. 

 

“You should be ashamed of yourselves. Brainwashing a lady like this.” 

 

Jumin just looked confused.“Brainwashing….” He trailed off his eyes widening. “That's what they did to you didn't they.” He said slowly. 

 

“Cut the crap.” Z snapped before turning back to his princess. She was looking at Jumin as if needing an explanation. “I'm sorry, princess. I was late. They've already corrupted you.”

 

“They?” She asked softly. 

 

“The RFA.” He responded. He was met with silence. 

 

“MC. Let's go.” Jumin called to her. She only stared at Z blankly. Jumin strode forwards and grabbed her arm. She looked at him, eyes wide. 

 

“What did they do to him?” She whispered. Z watched as Jumin began dragging his princess away. He shot up, ignoring the pain in his abdomen. 

 

“Let her go!” Z made his way over to them on unsteady feet. Jumin immediately dropped his princess’s hand and placed them on his shoulders. 

 

“Sit down.” Jumin said. His voice was stern. Z refused. 

 

“Princess run! Get away! Run!” He shouted trying to shake off Jumin. MC backed up eyes wide. 

 

“MC go back to the cafe. I-” Z swung his fist at the man. He could see a bruise already forming on the abuser's jaw. He looked over to see the princess gone. Good. Hopefully, she got far away from them. Suddenly a flood of nurses rushed in, pulling the two of them apart. Z could feel himself getting manhandled into the hospital bed. He thrashed, but there wasn't much he could do in his injuries state. Pain shot up his sides. He felt a needle stab his neck. His entire body felt heavy. As sleep pulled him under, he thought he saw Jumin looking at him from the doorway. His lips were pulled into a thin line but his eyes were sad. Why would he be sad? That was the last thing he remembered thinking before the world dissolved into darkness.

 

_ “Zen, how do you let someone know you like them.”  _

 

_ Zen looked down at MC, dramatically placing a hand over his heart.“Oh, my dear! I'm so sorry, for my incredibly good looks have made you fall for me!” She pinched him good-naturedly and he laughed. “In all seriousness, you should do little things for them. Get them flowers. A present. Make their favorite food. Bring them coffee.” _

 

_ “What if you already do that and they're oblivious.”  _

 

_ Zen raised an eyebrow. “You could always get hang up a giant banner in the cafe saying ‘I'm gay for you.’”  _

 

_ She laughed. “How'd you know?” She asked softly.  _

 

_ “It's obvious in the way you look at her.” She bit her lip. Zen nudged her. “And I'll let you in on a little secret. Jaehee likes you too.”  _

 

_ She smiled at him. “Thank you, Zen. Now, what can I do about your crush.”  _

 

_ Zen turned red. “I don't think you can, babe. He… hates me.” Zen looked away sighing. _

 

_ “I don't think so. I think he just doesn't know how to express his feelings. You should talk to him.”  _

  
  


_ Zen sighed again, before looking back at her.“I'd rather not embarrass myself.”  _

 

_ She stayed quiet for a few seconds before grinning.“You could always hang up a giant banner in his office saying 'I’m gay for you!’” _

 

_ Zen laughed.  _

 

_ “Thank you for the suggestion, princess.”  _

 

Z woke up, head pounding once again. The pain in his abdomen had subsided. The word 'princess’ echoed in his ears. He then noticed that he couldn't move his arms. He was bound. He scowled straining against them. No use. He bit his lip. He needed a way out of this. He closed his eyes, hoping that the princess had gotten away to safety. He doubted it, seeing as the grip the RFA has on her is strong. Slowly but surely a thought wormed his way into his head. Sure it wasn't the quickest way to get out, but it ensures that he'll be able to deliver the princess to safety. He was going to do what he does best. Act.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say he gets called Z more often than Zen.


	5. Heartache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Zen did to Jumin and what Jumin did to Zen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jumin.

Jumin pressed his forehead against the cool wood of the door. He could hear Zen struggling in the room. They had to bind him to make sure that he wouldn't attack again. He pressed his fingers to the bruise Zen had given him, before turning around and walking off to his car. “Driver Kim, take me home.” The car started rolling forward. Jumin stared out the window. Brainwashed. Zen had been brainwashed to believe that the RFA was evil. The results from the blood sample had come in. His body was full of drugs. Hallucinogens and depressants. The whole lot. Jumin just felt sick. Like his heart was going to explode from the pain and horror he was trying to mask. The car stopped in front of the C&R building. Jumin wordlessly climbed out of the car. He took the elevator to his penthouse, not trusting himself to speak. He walked inside to see Elizabeth stretching leisurely on his bed. He ignored her, grabbing a bottle of wine from his store. There were no wine glasses tonight. He drank straight from the bottle. 

 

_ Jumin sighed, sipping a glass of wine. He hated that he was feeling this way. He could see Zen in the corner of the party, chatting- no flirting with some girls. He had a charming smile plastered on his face. And whatever anyone said, Jumin was absolutely not jealous.  _

 

_ “Wassup Mista Trust Fund Kid~” Luciel grinned shoving his shoulder roughly. Jumin managed to save his suit and his wine. He glared at the redhead. “Whoops. Sorry.” He didn't look sorry at all.  _

 

_ “What do you want Luciel?”  _

 

_ His grin grew even wider as he pushed up his glasses. “What did Zen do to you?”  _

 

_ Jumin stared at the hacker in confusion.“Nothing.”  _

 

_ Seven raised an eyebrow.“You sure? Cuz you've been glaring at him over your wine glass for the past fifteen minutes.” Jumin's gaze wandered back to the actor, who was kissing a girl's hand. He scowled. Luciel followed his gaze. “You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you loved him.” Jumin nearly dropped his wine.  _

 

_ “What?” He asked. Seven looked at him teasingly. _

 

_ “Doesn’t your heart ache to see him flirt with those women. You're jealous.” Jumin didn't respond. Seven gave him a pat on the back and a pitying look before dissolving into the crowd.  _

 

_ He took a sip of his wine as he watched Zen laugh. Their eyes met across the room and that laugh turned into a scowl. Jumin sighed. Yes. He thought to himself. My heart does ache. Not only at the fact that he's flirting with them, but also, he'd never laugh like that with me. _

 

Jumin had no idea when he had passed out. He had several missed calls from MC, Jaehee, and Luciel. He ignored them. His head was splitting. It was nothing new. These past three months he'd been waking up with hangovers more frequently. He got up, loosening his tie and making his way over to the mirror. He looked like shit, and that was putting it lightly. His pinstripe shirt was soaked in wine. His suit was creased. He ran a hand through his ruffled hair. His eyes looked tired. He called in sick to work. He texted Yoosung that he had a day off. He stripped off his clothes tossing them into a corner of the penthouse. Sighing he climbed into his jacuzzi. He lay there for hours. His phone was buzzing like crazy. He turned it off. No distractions. He wanted to be alone. Just for one day, he wanted to forget all this ever happened. 

 

The next day, he looked no different than he normally did. His dress was impeccable. His hair neatly combed. He looked fine. He was not fine. He walked into the hospital room to see Zen lying there quietly. Their eyes met, and Zen immediately scowled. “You.”

 

“Me.” Jumin said calmly. He was anything but. Zen struggled against his bonds. Jumin sighed and set a can of beer on the bedside table. He undid the bonds on Zen’s hands and tried to help him sit up. Zen slapped his hands away and sat up himself. The restraints on his legs were still there. “Here.” Jumin held out the beer to him. Zen slapped it away. Jumin sighed as the beer can hit the floor. “I thought you liked beer.” 

 

Zen scowled.“You might have drugged it.” 

 

Jumin's eyes widened, before schooling his face into a neutral one.“Just what do you think we did to you?” 

 

Zen scoffed.“Don't play dumb. You all drugged me and made me into one of your puppets. You used my face to promote your organization. You used me.” Jumin closed his eyes. He took a deep breath.

 

“We never did any of those things.” 

 

“God! How can you keep lying like that?! Have you no humanity?” Jumin remained silent. “MC is the only pure one here. I need to get her away from you.” Jumin forced Zen down onto the bed. Zen gasped in surprise, his red eyes wide. They stayed like that for a few seconds, before Zen’s lips twisted into a grimace. He began to struggle. If this was the Zen from before, he could have easily thrown Jumin off. But now, Zen was injured and hadn’t eaten well at Mint Eye. Jumin bound his arms again. He hated doing this, but he had no choice. He couldn’t let Zen run back to Mint Eye. Who knows what they’d do to him? He climbed off of Zen with a soft sigh.

 

“We haven't done anything like you've described.” He turned to leave. He could hear Zen struggling against the restraints. He didn't turn back. He couldn't deal with this. 

 

“Don't touch her! If you have any sense, anything, don't torture her like you tortured me.” 

 

Jumin froze.“Torture?” He asked quietly. Zen stopped straining against the straps. He could feel his red eyes boring into his back. Zen's next words echoed loudly in the silent room.

 

“You whipped me to near death in a jail cell. I have permanent scars because of it.” Jumin squeezed his hand into a fist. His nails dug into the palm of his hand. It took every effort to keep his voice steady.

 

“What makes you think it was me?” He heard Zen laugh bitterly. His heart felt like it was going to break just by hearing it.

 

“You're the only dark-haired man in the RFA. Who else could it be?” Jumin gripped the doorknob tightly. He didn't look back as he walked out and shut the door behind him. Permanent scars. Jumin scowled. Someone at Mint Eye was going to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoosung's POV next 
> 
> My apologies to everyone who loves the pure bean cuz he just gets thrust into a world of hurt.


	6. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven hadn't talked to Yoosung in days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Snek.
> 
> I don't remember how we became friends. I probably just inserted myself into one of your conversations and it just escalated from there. I mean, you're too introverted and socially awkward for it to be otherwise. Thanks to you I always head to my next class with my stomach aching for laughing so hard. Also since you tried to expose the plot beforehand, I'm dedicating this wonderfully angsty chapter to you, cuz that's how petty I am. Aren't you glad you're my friend? Happy birthday. Enjoy bitch. 
> 
>  
> 
> In all seriousness though, thanks~ 
> 
> You're a good friend.

Yoosung had tried to get Seven to talk to him ever since the rescue but to no avail. In the beginning, he'd at least respond with a half-hearted 'Not now love.’ But as time went on, he got no response at all. He once thought he saw Seven turn up the volume on his headphones as if to drown him out. Now it had been two days since he'd eaten a proper meal, and Yoosung was worried. Seven was hacking like crazy. Yoosung watched as lines of code made their way across the screen. He'd been standing behind Seven for about five minutes now and his boyfriend hadn't even acknowledged him. Yoosung was frustrated. He yanked the headphones off the hacker’s head. The typing stopped and Seven finally looked back at him. “What do you want?”

 

Yoosung crossed his arms. “Care to tell me why you're ignoring me?” Seven sighed and pulled off his glasses with one hand. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before replacing them. 

 

“Can I have my headphones back?” He said quietly. Yoosung snapped.

 

“Seriously?! Can't you tell I'm worried about you? You haven't eaten in days, you won't tell me what's going on and you've been shutting yourself out!” Seven exhaled through his nose before turning back to the computer. 

 

“Stop worrying.” He said bluntly, before resuming his typing.

 

“What… Seven, this isn't you.” 

 

Seven let out a soft, hollow laugh.“You’re wrong Yoosung. This is me. The Seven I was before was just a joke.” 

 

Yoosung blinked.“Then help me get to know you.” Seven's lips curled into a cruel smile.

 

“I'm not sure you'd want to.”

 

Yoosung stomped his foot.“How do you know what I want?” Seven's pressed his lips into a thin line. He stopped typing.

 

“Your worries are annoying. You should stop.” Yoosung's heart plummeted.

 

“What?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

 

“Oh. Sorry. I misspoke. You're annoying, Yoosung. You're just fun to mess around with. That's the only reason you're here.” Seven turned around giving him a wry smile. “Why don't you go home? I'm done playing.” And with that, he faced his computer once more and began to type.

 

Seven's headphones hit the ground with a loud clatter. Yoosung turned and ran into their room- no, Seven's room and blindly grabbed as much of his things as he could. He then grabbed a backpack and shoved them in. His eyes were blurry with tears. He could barely see. Of course, a genius like Seven would never love him. He was a fool to think this was real. He swung the backpack over his shoulder and left the house. He didn't bother to glance back. He walked as far as the corner a few blocks away before breaking down into tears.

 

Yoosung didn't know how long he was crouched down on the dirt like that for. His head hurt from sobbing. No more tears came out. He shakily dialed MC’s number. “M- MC?” He sniffled.

 

“Yoosung? What's wrong?” Her voice was laced with concern.

 

“I.. Se… Seven kicked me out… and I al.. already sold my other apartment. I'm s… so sorry but could I stay with.. with you and Jaehee until.. until..” MC cut him off.

 

“Of course you can, Yoosung.” She sounded mad.

 

“I'm sorry… for... for making you mad.” He said quietly. She took in a deep breath.

 

“No Yoosung. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Seven.” He let out a shaky breath. “Come on over Yoosung. I'll make you you're favorite cake, okay.” Yoosung nodded, before realizing she couldn't see him. 

 

“Yeah.” He ended the call and picked up his backpack. He was about to swing it over his shoulder when someone roughly yanked him into an alleyway. Yoosung gasped as his back slammed against the brick wall. There was a man standing before him. He had white hair, dyed pink at the tips. He was wearing quite a lot of leather. Before he could make any more observations, the man flipped him around so his face was pressed against the rough brick.

 

“You're Saeyoung's whore aren't you.” Yoosung winced.

 

“Who… who's Saeyoung?” He managed to gasp out. His heart was racing. He was terrified. The man chuckled.

 

“Oh. Sorry. I misspoke.” Yoosung's eyes widened. That's what Seven had said before he smashed his heart in two. He felt tears prick his eyes. “I meant Seven. He goes by that now doesn't he.” Yoosung opened his mouth to say something, but the man quickly pressed a handkerchief to his nose. The world began to spin.

 

“Sev..en” He mumbled before going limp. Everything around him was fading. All those thoughts he couldn't say. 

 

I'm sorry. 

 

I'm sorry for being a bad person

 

I loved you

 

It's dark

 

And I'm scared

 

I loved you.

 

I still love-

 

There was silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to wish Vionvend in the comments because she deserves love. Especially after I did this to her.


	7. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regrets

Saeyoung couldn't focus after what he had said to Yoosung. He'd tried to suppress the coiling guilt in his stomach, but it was no use. After thirty minutes of getting nowhere, He got up from his chair. He pulled on his coat, before noticing that Yoosung had forgotten his. He grabbed it and left. He'd gotten as far as the corner when something caught his eye. A phone. More specifically, Yoosung’s phone. Saeyoung picked it up, dread slowly making its way down his spine. He looked at the last call made. Yoosung had called MC. Of course. He called her and she picked up immediately.

 

“Yoosung, where are you? It doesn't take this long for you to get to our place from Seven’s. Are you okay?” 

 

Saeyoung froze. “He's not there…?” He asked haltingly. 

 

“Is that you Seven? Why do you have Yoosung's phone?” She could hear confusion and anger in her voice. “I swear to God if you hack-”

 

“I didn't.” He said quickly. “It was lying on the ground.” There was silence on the other end.

 

“... He isn't here.” He could hear the panic in her voice. He bit his lip. 

 

“I need to find him.” He said quickly and cut the phone. He spun around in place looking for his boyfriend. If he could still call him that. He hated himself for saying those words. He was only trying to push Yoosung away so he wouldn't get hurt. And now he was looking for him because he couldn't focus. Selfish bastard. He chided himself. He really didn't deserve Yoosung. He noticed an alleyway and decided to have a look. There on the ground was Yoosung's backpack. Saeyoung bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. Yoosung wouldn't leave his things like this. He dropped both their coats and went to inspect the place. His eyes widened. On the ground was a handkerchief with a mint colored eye embroidered onto it. No. Saeyoung felt that same crushing grief he felt the day he had to leave his brother behind. This time was different though. This time he felt so guilty, it was consuming him, choking him till he couldn't breathe. Because he pushed his boyfriend away, it had gotten him more involved in this than it should. This was his fault.

 

He called MC once again. “Seven? Did you find him?” Seven began to sob. “Hey! What happened?” 

 

“He's gone. Mint Eye…” He couldn't bring himself to continue. 

 

“Stay where you are.” The call ended and Seven slumped to the ground, hugging Yoosung's backpack like a lifeline. By the time MC arrived, his tears had run out. “Seven?” He looked at her.

 

“He's gone.” He muttered brokenly. MC was silent for a moment.

 

“Get up.” He blinked at the harsh tone of voice. He stood up shakily, not daring to meet her eyes. “Why was Yoosung crying?”

 

“I might have told him to get lost.” Saeyoung squeezed his eyes shut, guilt building up in his stomach. He heard MC huff, and then she slapped him. His cheek stung from the blow. He didn't look at her.

 

“Are you a fucking idiot?! He loves you more than anything and you told him to get lost?!”

 

“I.. I just wanted to protect him. It's dangerous now that one of the Mint Eye members is out for my blood. I was worried they'd hurt him and…” MC gasped.

 

“Someone from Mint Eye is looking for you?!” He flinched. 

 

“Yeah. He said he wanted to kill me. He stopped Zen, but only so he could do it himself.” 

 

“Zen… tried to kill you?” Saeyoung barked out a dry laugh.

 

“Yeah.” He said shortly. He hoped she'd get the point and stop asking questions. She spoke up softly after a moment of silence.

 

“So why'd you go looking for him?” He said nothing. She was talking about Yoosung, of course. Why did he go looking for him? He didn't know himself. All he knew is that he was selfish to try.

 

“I'm not strong enough to let him go.” He whispered, more to himself than to MC. He could feel MC glaring at him. She slapped his other cheek. He winced, finally meeting her gaze. She sighed and hugged him. 

 

“You're an idiot.” He could agree with that. She pulled away slightly, meeting his eyes with a determined gaze. “Well, what are you doing here, you idiot? You know who took him, right?” Saeyoung nodded. “Then go get him!” He looked at Yoosung's coat lying on the ground. He paused making a quick plan before shoving Yoosung's phone into MC’s hand.

 

“Take care of his stuff will ya?” He ran off before she could respond, back to his house. He grabbed all his hacking equipment, threw open his garage and sat in the fastest car he owned. All his equipment was haphazardly thrown in the backseat. The engine hummed to life underneath him. “Come on baby. Ride like the wind.” With that, he grabbed the steering wheel and shot out of the garage. 

 

It took five hours for Saeyoung to reach Mint Eye. He quickly set up his hacking equipment behind a bush and began to infiltrate the security cameras. It took him awhile, but when he was done he knew exactly where Yoosung was. He grabbed a USB stick, shoving it into his pocket, and proceeded to scale the side of the building at a blind spot. His hands were covered in climbing chalk for a better grip as he dug his fingers into the crevices of the stone walls. He swung himself onto a window ledge and cut a smooth circle into the glass. The hallway was empty. Judging by the security cams, he had to go to the basement where the holding cells were. Field work was never Saeyoung's forte. He always preferred hacking. But it was moments like these that made him appreciate the training he had gone through.He rounded the corner slowly, gun positioned in his hand. They were only tranquilizer darts but had real bullets in case he needed them. He glanced behind him. No one there. He turned around just in time to stop himself from running into his dear brother. The glare that Saeran shot him was enough to make the guilt rise to his throat. Then he felt mad that he felt guilty. This wasn't his fault. He'd trusted V. He had no idea that V would let this happen. His anger subsided leaving a hard lump of regret behind. He shouldn't have left. He shouldn't have trusted V. Saeran sneered.

 

“I knew you'd come for your boyfriend.”

 

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regrets
> 
>  
> 
> Stupidity Counter:2


	8. Permanent Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Descriptions of Violence/Slight Gore
> 
> What happened to Yoosung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..... Don't kill me pls

Saeyoung could feel the cold metal muzzle pressing into his back as they walked towards the holding cells. He felt surprisingly calm. If he played along, he'd end up where Yoosung was. Then he'd knock out his brother, free Yoosung and take his brother with him. Simple. They made their way down a flight of stairs and in front of a large metal door. Saeran yanked him back and pressed the gun to his head before opening the door. Saeyoung could hardly believe what he saw. There were rows of cages. Not cells. Cages. There were people in them, bared like animals. In the center was a stone slab, elevated like a table. And on the wall behind it were a variety of knives, whips, and bludgeons. Saeyoung couldn't breathe. What if they had used these on Yoosung? He searched each cage frantically until Saeran roughly grabbed him by the chin and forced him to look at a cage on his right. “There. That's your boyfriend.” Saeyoung walked towards the cage. His feet felt like lead. Saeran chuckled. The white-haired man brushed past his brother and opened the door. Saeyoung peeked inside and his heart stopped. His mouth went dry. He rushed to Yoosung’s side, not caring as the cage door slammed shut behind him.

 

“Sev- en” Yoosung gasped out. The younger boy had no shirt on. His skin was covered with black and blue marks. On top of that, there were slashes where the whip had cut through his skin. His face was bruised on both cheeks and he had a black eye. Saeyoung scooped his boyfriend into his arms and cradled him. Yoosung's hands gripped at Saeyoung's jacket pulling it closer. “Sorr... Sorry” The boy could barely speak due to the large handprints on his neck. Saeyoung felt a concoction of guilt, anger, and resentment boiling up in his stomach as he watched his boyfriend struggling to speak. Yoosung blamed himself. Of course he did. He was too sweet to think otherwise.

 

“Shhh shhh.. don't speak… it'll hurt more if you do.” Saeyoung whispered, brushing the blond hair from Yoosung’s eyes. The hacker felt a sob build up in his throat. This was his fault. He should never have yelled at Yoosung like that. The only reason he did such a thing was to make sure something like this didn't happen. He was a fool. This was all his fault. He felt a cold hand wipe away his tears. Yoosung. Here he was unharmed and healthy, only to have his bruised and bloodied boyfriend comfort him. Somewhere inside of Saeyoung, a dam broke. His tears started to rush out as he buried his face into the crook of Yoosung's neck. “I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. This is all my fault. If.. if you hadn't met me then.. you wouldn't be in this situation.” Yoosung was shaking his head.

 

“N..no” He began but Saeyoung cut him off by pressing his lips to Yoosung's. It was a quick kiss. Saeyoung pulled away to rest his forehead against his boyfriend's.

 

“I'm so sorry Yoosungie.” He whispered. Yoosung closed his eyes. Saeyoung shifted so he was lying down next to the younger boy, his face buried in Yoosung's soft blond hair. He pulled off his jacket and draped it over the two of them. And they laid there, curled up into one another on the floor of the cage. He felt Yoosung fall asleep in his embrace and let out a sigh. He was going to get them out. Saeran and Yoosung. He was going to get both of them out, even if it cost his life.

 

A few hours later Saeran stormed into the room and opened the cell next to them. Saeyoung could feel Yoosung flinch in his arms. There was a man begging for his life being dragged to the slab. He was forced to lie on his belly and was restrained. Saeyoung unintentionally pulled his boyfriend closer. The man he saw Saeran raise a whip into the air and bring it down on the man's back. Repeatedly. The man was screaming. It echoed in the room. Yoosung began to cry. Saeyoung had seen a lot of messed up shit because of the agency, but this was the worst by far. He was watching his own brother, his other half, beat an innocent man to death. And judging by Yoosung's reaction, Saeran had done the same to him too. Saeyoung covered Yoosung's eyes with his hand. The smaller boy let out a gasp. “I don't want you to see this babe,” Saeyoung whispered lowly. Yoosung was trembling. 

 

“Hurts.” He whimpered. Saeyoung loosened his grip.

 

“Sorry.” He used his other hand to cover Yoosung's ears. “I don't want you to hear this as well.” He mumbled, more to himself than anything. Just as Yoosung seemed to be calming down a bit, the screaming suddenly stopped. Saeyoung's fears were confirmed when he heard his brother's ice cold voice ring out. 

 

“Clean up this mess.” He snapped at the guards, pointing at the unmoving man on the stone. The hacker’s blood ran cold. His brother had blood on his hands. Not that Saeyoung didn't. He was an agent. He'd killed too many people to count. But this was the kind of life he wanted his brother to avoid. He'd failed. His brother was a murderer. Like him.

 

Saeran left the room without another glance at any of the cages. Saeyoung uncovered Yoosung's eyes and ears. “You okay?” He asked. Yoosung looked up at him and nodded. “Good.” Suddenly another man dressed in robes walked in, pushing a tray of drinks. They were a suspicious blue color. Yoosung's eyes widened as he saw them. He began to quiver again. The man's hood fell back to reveal tousled black hair. His cold grey eyes stared at the couple, huddled together. 

 

“Drink or be flogged.” He said simply. Saeyoung eyed the blue drink suspiciously. 

 

“What is it?” 

 

“It's the Savior's medicine. It will help you ascend to Paradise. Join us.” He said all this in a complete monotone. Saeyoung shook his head.

 

“I'll pass.” Knowing this place, it was probably the brainwashing drug. The one they had given to Zen. The man's eyes narrowed as he unhooked a coiled whip from his belt. Saeyoung pulled off his shirt and turned around. He could hear Yoosung trying to protest. “Don't worry, Yoosungie.” He said. He had a wry smile on his face as the rest of his sentence went unsaid.

 

I've been through worse.

 

The whip slashed at his skin, but strangely Saeyoung didn't cry out. He heard the crack of the whip and then the pain. It flooded his senses making his vision blur. But Saeyoung felt almost numb to the pain as he took the lashes silently. Finally, the whip was put away and Saeyoung cracked a grin. “Thanks.” He said to the man. The man said nothing, simply raised an eyebrow and turned towards Yoosung.

 

“Drink or be flogged.” Saeyoung's eyes widened as Yoosung shook his head. No. If Yoosung took any more hits he could die. No. The man reached for his whip and lashed it out at Yoosung. The hacker reached out without thinking and caught it. It slapped against his wrist, cutting the skin open. He winced. 

 

“Let me take it.” The man looked at him in confusion. “I'll take his floggings. Please.” The man studied him for a moment. Yoosung was rasping out the word 'No’ over and over again. The man yanked his whip from Saeyoung's hand. There was a crack as the whip split the skin on the hacker’s cheek. He let out a strangled noise. Gritting his teeth, he felt the next blow land on his stomach. He let out a gasp as pain shot its way through the body. Yoosung was crying and pleading with the man to stop. “Yoosung.” He called out softly. Yoosung looked at him. The redhead let out a gasp as a blow hit his stomach again. “It's okay.” The world was getting fuzzy. The man raised his whip again. It really was okay. Because he's been through worse. The last thing felt was an immense pain as the whip landed on his neck. There were tears in his eyes and a bitter smile on his face as the world spiraled into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a necessary plot point despite this whole fic being unnecessary.


	9. The Captured Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Protective Jaehee  
> Hopeless Jumin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaehee and Jumin are jelly

Jaehee was extremely concerned for her girlfriend. MC was normally a fiery, cheerful girl. When she smiled, Jaehee felt like her heart could burst. But for the past three days, MC had been sour. She’d snapped at a customer. She would absent-mindedly check her phone while working. Jaehee was getting more and more worried as the days went by, and it didn’t seem like MC was going to tell her what was wrong. They were closing up shop for the day. MC was checking her phone again, face creased in worry. “MC?” 

 

MC looked up at her.“Oh sorry, I should be helping right?” Jaehee set down the cake she was holding. MC took one last glance at her phone and was about to get up when Jaehee sat down next to her. 

 

“I know I’m not good at comforting people, but you should tell me what’s wrong.” MC gave Jaehee a conflicted look. Was it really so bad that she couldn’t tell her? Jaehee bit her lip, anxiously running through the possibilities. MC wouldn’t cheat on her, would she?

 

“Seven… he hasn’t been coming to the chatroom lately.” MC said softly. Jaehee looked at her in confusion.

 

“Yes… but I assume it’s because he’s looking into the organization that took Zen.” 

 

MC looked like she was on the verge of tears. “You all are going to hate me.” She whispered. Jaehee didn’t know what to do. “Yoosung called three days ago, asking if he could come stay with us.”

 

“Yes, you told me about this. You said Luciel kicked him out because of a fight. And then you said they made up?” Jaehee wasn’t quite sure where this was going

 

“Well… Um… Yoosung was taken.” 

 

Jaehee froze. “What?!” MC jumped at the tone of her voice. Jaehee instantly regretted yelling.“Sorry. I…”

 

MC shook her head.“I thought all was good because Seven went to go rescue him. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. But it’s been three days and he still hasn’t texted me to say he’s okay and…” She trailed off and began to sob. “This is all my fault! I’m the one who told him to go after Yoosung. If I hadn’t said that then-” 

 

Jaehee cut her off.“He would have gone anyway.” MC stayed silent. The only sounds in the empty cafe were her sniffles as she tried to remain calm. Jaehee rubbed circles into her girlfriend’s back. “This isn’t your fault MC. Now we need to decide on the best course of action.” To be honest, Jaehee felt nothing like the calm demeanor she was putting out. Every single one of her nerves were on end and she felt horrible. She had been so relieved when they found Zen. She had thought all their troubles were over. But here she was five days later, worrying over the lives of two of the other members. She sighed and reached for her phone. “I’m going to call Jumin to explain the situation. We have to get them out as soon as possible.” 

 

MC nodded sullenly.“Thank you.” 

 

Jaehee gave her a reassuring smile. “They will be okay.” She pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek, watching with satisfaction as she turned pink. She dialed Jumin’s number and waited for him to pick up. “Mr.- Ah I mean, Jumin.” She said as he picked up.

 

“Jaehee. What is it?”

 

“It’s about Yoosung and Luciel. I-” Before she could continue, Jumin cut her off.

 

“If Assistant Kim is contacting you, could you please tell him to come back to work? He has been ignoring my calls for the past four days. I only gave the boy one day off, not an entire week. Please let him know that if he wishes to continue working here, he should learn to pick up his phone.” 

 

Jaehee let out an exasperated huff.“This is serious Mr. Han,” The title slipped out before she could stop it. 

 

“I am aware. Work has been piling up and-” Jaehee cut him off.

 

“Listen. Yoosung and Luciel are in danger. They’ve been taken by Mint Eye.” There was silence on the other end of the phone. 

 

She heard Jumin inhale before quietly speaking.“How do you know?” 

 

Jaehee looked at her girlfriend. “Luciel had called MC saying Yoosung was missing and that Mint Eye had taken him. And then Luciel went to go get him back. It’s been three days and he hasn’t returned.” She left out the bit about MC encouraging Luciel. Jumin didn’t need to know that. 

 

“I’ll be at your cafe in five minutes. We need to discuss a rescue strategy.” The call ended. Jaehee turned back to see MC slowly rising to her feet.

 

“Well?” She asked. Her voice was hoarse. 

 

“Jumin’s coming here to discuss what to do.” MC looked away and Jaehee sighed. “This isn’t your fault.” MC was silent for a few minutes, looking down at her feet.

 

“Yeah, but if I had stopped him or something.” Jaehee shook her head and pulled MC into an embrace. She was never the type to be overly affectionate, but MC looked like she needed it. She ran her fingers through MC’s straight brown hair.

 

“You know he wouldn’t have listened to you. He can be as stubborn as Jumin sometimes.”

 

“What about me?” Jaehee pulled away in surprise to see her former boss standing in the doorway of the cafe. 

 

“Uh… You two start talking... I’ll make some coffee-” MC muttered but Jumin cut her off. 

 

“That will not be necessary. You are an integral part of this conversation. Stay here.” Jaehee could see MC visibly gulp as she sat back down in her seat. It was times like these where Jaehee turned to her mental image of shoulder-throwing Jumin into a wall. Couldn’t he see that MC was blaming herself enough? The look on her face must have been concerning because MC reached over and gave Jaehee’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Her hand was cool. It felt good. 

 

Jaehee took a deep breath.“Well, what would you like to do?” 

 

Jumin studied both of them for a moment, before turning his gaze down to his cufflinks. He began to fiddle with them, an anxious gesture that didn’t suit him at all.“I’m sorry.” He said quietly. Jaehee wanted to pinch herself. Did Jumin just… apologize? “I should have had better judgment. I was a fool to think they wouldn’t strike again. I should have sent everyone bodyguards.” Suddenly he squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, his face was calm. As if he never had any emotions at all. “I apologize. I seem to have let my emotions get the better of me. It won’t happen again. Now, MC, please tell me what happened. Every detail is important, so be thorough.” MC began to explain. Jumin listened calmly, all traces of any feelings he had were gone. Jaehee had always admired and loathed his ability to do that. But as of now, all she felt was concern. Jumin leaned back thoughtfully in his chair once MC finished. 

 

“How are we going to rescue them?” Jaehee asked. Jumin looked at her, pressing his lips into a thin line. 

 

“We can’t go in without a plan.” Jumin said slowly. The rest of his sentence went unsaid but rang loudly in the room. Not like last time. The gravity of the situation seemed to finally settle on Jaehee’s shoulders. Luciel and Yoosung, they could come out of that place just like Zen, or worse, not come out at all.

 

“We need intel. Layouts, blueprints, and the people they have on their side.” MC spoke up. Jaehee looked at her with a fond smile. Of course, she’d say that, what with all the spy movies she watched. Jumin rose, his eyes were clouded over with wistfulness and pain. An expression Jaehee had never seen in all her years working for him.

 

“There’s one person who can give us that information. But…” He paused, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Whether or not he’d give it to us is another story.” Jaehee instantly knew who he was talking about. Zen.

 

Jaehee stood in front of the hospital door in dread. The last visit she had made was a disaster. It ended with Zen insisting that Jaehee had been brainwashed by Jumin and that she should come with him to Mint Eye. Jumin had decided that MC should be the one asking the questions because Zen trusted MC more than the rest of them. Jaehee was nervous. What if Zen hurt MC? What if Zen tried to take her away. Jumin gestured for her to follow him. She reluctantly followed, glancing back at the door separating her and her girlfriend. Jumin led her to the control room. There on one of the screens was the feed from Zen’s room. “-about the RFA” MC was saying. She could see Zen’s eyes light up. 

 

“So you’ve come to your senses?” Zen asked. 

 

She looked at him with uncertainty.“I.. I’m not sure... I just know that something’s off about the RFA and… what you said earlier has been bouncing around in my head…” 

 

Zen looked at her sympathetically. “I know. The RFA’s hold on me was strong. It took me a while to break it. But Mint Eye can help with that.” MC sat down on the edge of the bed. Jaehee held her breath. No, MC. Back away. Get away. Before he takes you too. Her heart was pounding. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jumin. 

 

His face had no emotion but his voice was kind. “Don’t worry. He’s restrained.” She was beginning to think her former boss was human after all. Jaehee turned her attention back towards the screen.

 

“How about you untie me, and I could show you.” Zen’s eyes were gleaming. Jaehee was ready to bolt for the door when MC shook her head.

 

“I- I don’t know.. The RFA... They…” 

 

Zen sighed.“Princess, listen to me. Mint Eye has medicine that can reverse the effect of the drugs you’re under. Then you will see clearly. The Director would be happy to have you.” Jaehee felt a spark of jealousy build up in her gut as she listened to Zen calling her pet names. 

 

“Who’s that?” MC asked. Zen gave her a charming grin. The jealousy inside Jaehee rose.

 

“He’s my instructor. He helps me act well. He works under the Savior. I was supposed to put a play on for the Savior when I brought you back. You were my princess. The final piece of my play.” Jaehee couldn’t take it. She turned and flung the door open and raced down the corridor. She’s my princess, Zen. Hands off. She suddenly felt someone tug on her sleeve. 

 

“Assistant K- I mean. Jaehee.” She turned to see Jumin. 

 

“Let me go. This needs to stop.” Anxiety, jealousy, and concern all bubbled in her gut making her words short and snappy. 

 

“Listen. MC will come out when she’s done interrogating. I won’t let him disappear again.” His eyes widened as he realized what he had said. “I-I mean… I won’t let him disappear with her.” Was… was that a blush on his face? Jaehee felt all her feelings vanish at the unusual sight. 

 

“Do you... Like Zen?” 

 

Jumin let out a sigh.“That’s irrelevant.” Just then MC walked out of the room. Her face was downcast. Jaehee rushed over and hugged her girlfriend. 

 

“Are you okay?” She could feel MC let out a sigh.

 

“I don’t know.” 

 

She pulled away before looking at the two of them. “He says our roles are reversed. That he’s a captured prince. And I’m the princess who must save him.” Jaehee bit her lip with worry. She felt someone brush past her. Jumin. His hands were stuffed in his suit pockets. Jaehee thought about what he had said before, about not letting Zen disappear. If Zen was a captured prince, then Jumin was the captor. And if her speculation was correct then, the captor had fallen in love with the prince. And the prince was still blind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit happens next chapter stay tuned.


	10. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's still in there. Somewhat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the shitstorm

Jumin knew he was being childish. But the fact that he couldn’t help being childish infuriated him all the more. He was jealous. When he heard Zen call MC ‘his princess’, he felt annoyed to no end. And it seemed that Jaehee felt the same way. On top of that, he was slipping. His emotions were becoming more and more apparent. After all that, he didn’t think he could handle talking about Zen. He walked away without listening to the rest of MC’s report. How selfish. Self-hate was swirling around in his head as he sat in his car. He buried his face in his hands. What was happening to him? Emotions were a weakness. An annoyance. That was his philosophy ever since he was a kid. And now every facade he put up was crashing down at his feet. Driver Kim turned around to face him. “Sir, would you like me to take you home?” 

 

He looked up at Driver Kim and sighed. “No. Thank you, Driver Kim.” He held out a wad of bills. “Go get something to eat. I’d like to be alone.” Driver Kim looked at him and then at the money with wide eyes. 

 

“Are you sure, Sir?” 

 

Jumin scowled. “If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be telling you this. Go.” Driver Kim took the bills and climbed out of the car. Jumin was alone. He hesitated for a moment before climbing out of the car and heading back to the hospital.

 

Jaehee and MC had already left. He checked his phone to see a message from MC. “Tell us when you’re ready to talk. I know you need time...but this is urgent so, if you could get better as soon as possible, that would be best.” He sighed. He shoved his phone back into his pockets and opened the door to Zen’s room. This really wasn’t the best idea, considering his mental state, but Jumin couldn’t help himself. He didn’t know why he was doing this. Only that he was here now and it was too late to turn back.

 

Jumin could see Zen’s eyes light up the sound of the door opening only to have it replaced by disappointment. “Oh. It’s you again,” he said nonchalantly. Jumin supposed that was better than anger. 

 

“How are you?” Jumin asked. 

 

The other man huffed. “Why do you care?” Jumin gritted his teeth. Stay calm. Stay calm. Emotions are a weakness. Emotions don’t help anyone. 

 

“I’m not sure myself,” Jumin replied slowly. It was the truth, in some sense. “Maybe because you’re a fellow member of the RFA?” Good job Jumin. You know he hates that. He mentally chided himself for saying such a stupid thing. And just as he had predicted, Zen’s eyes flashed with anger.

 

“I’m not one of you guys. Just because you trapped me here, doesn’t make me a part of your cult.” He spat out.

 

“Oh. And your cult is so much better?” Jumin shot back.

 

“Mint Eye isn’t a cult. It’s a healing center.”

 

Jumin scoffed “Where they program everyone to think they’re princes?”

 

Zen narrowed his eyes at the man.“Well, at least they don’t brainwash innocent people.” Jumin wanted to scream.

 

“I already told you. We’ve done no such thing.” Jumin could feel Zen’s eyes on him as he began to lose himself in his own thoughts. What was he doing here? He knew Zen was the one person who could possibly rile him up. He knew he was having trouble suppressing his emotions. Why was he coming to the one man who hated his guts? Jumin couldn’t understand it himself. 

 

“You liar,” Zen said quietly after a few seconds. Jumin met Zen’s challenging gaze. “Why are you really here? To boast? To say that you’ve got me back in your clutches? How about torturing me again?” Jumin’s eyes widened. Zen let out a dry laugh. “Wouldn’t be the first time, now would it?” The tension that Jumin had been holding inside him for the past three months snapped. 

 

“I told you. I didn’t do it.” Jumin’s voice was low, humming with anger.

“You have some nerve to keep lying like this. Why not tell the truth? We’re alone after all.” Zen taunted. Jumin couldn’t take it anymore.

 

“I can’t have done it! Even if someone put a gun to my head and told me to torture you, I couldn’t have done it!” He yelled. He was faintly aware of hot tears rolling down his face. Zen looked shocked. “God, I was so relieved when I heard you were alive and safe. But somehow they managed to make you hate me more than you already did!” Jumin angrily attempted to wipe away his tears but it was useless. They kept coming. His throat felt raw. It had been years since he had broken down like this. 

 

“It’s not like you didn’t hate me back,” Zen said softly. And for once in the past five days, he sounded like the old Zen. Jumin looked at him to see that his red eyes had softened. They weren’t concerned, just not as harsh. 

 

“I never hated you.” He said, finally calming down. He wiped away his tears. 

 

Zen furrowed his brows in confusion.“I… thought you did?” 

 

Jumin shook his head. “Never.” 

 

Zen looked even more confused than before. “Why… I… I don’t know why but... I don’t like seeing you sad. I liked you better when you were a jerk.” Jumin could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, Zen’s demeanor changed. “What am I saying?” He looked panicked. 

 

“Zen..?” Zen glared at him.

 

“Don’t call me that! What did you do to me?” Jumin backed away as Zen began struggling against his bonds. He looked furious.

 

“Thank you.” Jumin said softly and turned and left the room. He could hear Zen shouting and it made his heart ache, but there was nothing he could do as of now. But for some reason, he felt better. He felt more in control. Finally, he had the tiniest bit of hope, that the real Zen was in there. Jumin picked up his phone and sent a text to MC. 

 

“Come to the penthouse. We have a lot to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jumin.
> 
> This isn't the last time his emotions get out of hand.


	11. Hopes Dashed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whoops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go yell at Vionvend to yell at me

The intercom buzzed not too long after he sent the text. “Sir, there are two women here who claim they're from the RFA. One of them is your former assis-” Jumin cut the guard off. 

 

“Let them in.” The door swung open to reveal a nervous looking couple. MC was tightly squeezing Jaehee’s hand. Whatever Zen had said about Mint Eye couldn’t have been good. MC and Jaehee sat down across from him, pressed together as they tried to comfort each other. Jumin felt a familiar pang in his heart. It was what he felt whenever he saw Zen. Longing. Jumin ignored it and instead gestured at the wine on the table. “Something to drink?” MC shook her head. Jaehee reached for a glass. Once Jaehee had settled back comfortably, Jumin leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “Well then, tell us what you know.” 

 

MC let out a sigh before speaking softly. “Mint Eye is an organization that claims to be ‘Paradise’. A place where everyone is happy. That there is no sadness or pain. We already know that Zen was… brainwashed. Apparently, the drugs were in an ‘energy drink’ he was given every time his performance lacked. He was working to star in a play and I was meant to be his co-star.” Jumin nodded. He’d heard this much from the control room. MC began to fidget. “Well, um, he went on praising his director. His director has bleached hair, mint blue eyes and usually-”

 

“Wears all leather?” Jumin cut in. MC looked at him, eyes wide. 

 

“Yes, exactly! How did you know?” Jumin remembered how that man had shot Zen. How he was aiming for Luciel. 

 

“We met him when we went to get Zen.” Jumin responded curtly. She was already anxious. She didn’t need to be more worried knowing exactly what had occurred. MC nodded and bit her lip.

 

“Yeah and apparently this director works under someone called the Savior.” Jumin raised an eyebrow. Jaehee gulped down her wine in a flash and reached for the bottle. Jumin had almost forgotten she was there. She was so quiet. “The Savior… he said it’s Rika.” 

 

Jumin froze. He wasn’t able to keep the waver out of his voice.“What?” He felt like shrinking in on himself. That wasn’t possible. But then… it was just as unlikely for Zen to mistake his first fan. Unless the brainwashing had something to do with it? 

 

Jaehee spoke up softly. “We don’t know if it’s the truth or just the drugs. Um.. He thinks V didn’t approve of Rika’s plan for a Paradise, and so tried to fake her death. He claims that V abused and hurt Rika, and that’s why she left.” Jumin felt his heart pound in his chest. He didn’t know how to feel. Worried? Scared? Betrayed? The V he knew would never do that. But, the V he knew never disappeared like this either. Was Zen even telling the truth or was it twisted? His head was reeling. The worst was yet to come. 

 

“Jumin…” MC called out softly. He looked at her with bewildered eyes. He could feel his emotionless facade slipping. He couldn’t keep this up. He couldn’t. “Jumin, he thinks you helped V... that’s why he said…” MC gulped. She was near tears. Jumin couldn’t stand it.

 

“What?! What did he say?! What could he have possibly said that I don’t already know?!” MC flinched back and Jaehee rose unsteadily to her feet.

 

“Don’t yell at her!” Was he yelling? He hadn’t realized. 

 

“I-” He felt so… broken. Like every shred of hope had left him. MC placed her hand on Jaehee’s arm, placating her.

 

“Jumin, Jaehee, please calm down.” 

 

Jumin looked at her pleadingly. “Just tell me. Please.”

 

MC looked away. “He said he wants to kill you.” she whispered softly. Jumin felt all the air leave his lungs in an instant. He began to laugh. A dry, humorless laugh. He couldn’t control it. Everything he had bottled up since childhood flooded out of him in a single, neverending laugh. MC and Jaehee looked concerned. He slumped back on the sofa regarding them both with empty eyes. He felt numb.

 

“That’s not a surprise.” His voice was emotionless. He felt emotionless. “He’s already tried.”

 

MC let out a little gasp. "He tried to kill you too?!"

 

"Too?"

 

MC looked away. "Seven told me Zen had tried to kill him, before... before they..." She bit her lip. Her words left a heavy air in the room, but Jumin couldn't bring himself to care. He couldn't bring himself to feel. 

  
  


He sighed. "We need a plan." 

 

Jaehee was looking at him with concern. "But are you sure you're alright, Mr. Han?" She still hadn't gotten used to calling him by his name, had she?

 

"I've always been fine Jaehee. There is nothing wrong with me. There are more important matters at hand. If what Zen says is true, then Luciel and Yoosung are in grave danger." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "We could potentially let Zen take us there himself. But he would have to believe that I want to improve. That... would be difficult to pull off."

 

MC raised her hand as if she was a schoolgirl. "What if I went?" Jaehee immediately pulled her girlfriend's hand down.

 

"Absolutely not. I'll go if you need someone Zen trusts." Jaehee said, sharply. MC looked conflicted.

 

"I'd prefer if I didn't get you ladies involved," Jumin said. He couldn't risk losing another member.

 

"Too late." There was a fire in MC's eyes as she gazed at him. "This is a matter of the RFA. We're involved, whether you like it or not."

 

Jumin opened his mouth to retort when the intercom buzzed. 

 

"Mr. Han, I'm very sorry  Sir, but it seems that Mr. Ryu has escaped." 

 

Jumin felt his blood run cold. Jaehee gasped and MC stood up, startled.

"How did this happen?" Jumin asked. His voice was just as deadpan as always, but on the inside, he felt terrified. 

 

"A man in a leather jacket came in and shot all the guards. He threatened to shoot Mr. Ryu if we didn't let him pass. We had no choice, Sir. " Jumin shut his eyes.

"All of you are fired for your incompetence. Ready the helicopters and then get out of my sight."

 

"Jumin-" MC tried to protest, but Jumin simply grabbed his coat and left. He locked the door. He could hear someone try to open it from the inside but to no avail. They didn't know the passcode. There was pounding on the other side. "Jumin, Open the door! What are you doing?" MC yelled. 

 

He pressed the intercom button. "Sorry, but this is for your safety. Please forgive me." And he turned and left without another glance back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H e h


	12. The Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Realizations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day
> 
> Have angst

Z was quiet on the ride back to Mint Eye. He watched the unfamiliar scenery pass by. Despite having lived at Mint Eye, he didn't know how to get there. Once they had reached the building, the Director handed him a bottle. "Here, the Medicine of Salvation. It'll counteract all the drugs they gave you at the RFA." Z took the bottle hesitantly. This wasn't right. Something in his head was warning him, telling him not to drink from the bottle. 

 

"They didn't give me any drugs," Zen said before his brain was able to catch up to his mouth. 

 

The Director raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" His voice was like sharp glass. It cut through the air. His eyes had a dangerous glint to them. 

 

"They didn't give me any drugs. I didn't eat or drink any of the food or water they gave me. There's no way they gave me any drugs." 

 

The Director's eyes narrowed. "You should drink it anyway, just in case." 

 

Zen took a step back. "My dedication to Mint Eye is absolute. There's no reason for me to drink it." He could feel his heart rate rising in panic. Something was very wrong. The RFA hadn't given him any drugs. They hadn't hurt him. The worst they did was bind him. But as soon as he had returned to Mint Eye, they had handed him a bottle and told him to drink it. Like the very drugs he was trying to avoid. The voice in his brain was getting louder. The Director looked mad. 

 

"Z. I order you to drink this." 

 

Zen took another step backward. "No. I don't feel happy drinking  that." 

 

The Director scowled. He took a step towards Zen. "The RFA has taken ahold of you again. Drink it."

 

"Do you not trust me? I said they didn't give me anything." That seemed to be the final straw. 

  
  


The Director sighed. "I hadn't wanted to do this, but you leave me no choice." With that, he snapped his fingers. Disciples came charging into the room. They swarmed him and dragged him away. He was screaming. This was all wrong. He was wrong. MInt Eye wasn't a good place. All the things he had blamed on the RFA were- He had a sudden splitting headache. He could feel himself calming down. He was safe. No. NO! Somewhere inside him, a little voice was screaming. Telling him to get out. He wasn't safe. He was... He was... safe? His brain was still battling himself as the disciples shoved him into a cage. The rusty metal door clanged shut. Zen took in the splotches of blood on the bars. His eyes went wide.

 

He was not safe. 

 

The door opened and a man walked in wheeling a cart filled with little bottles of blue liquid. The man could have easily been mistaken for Jumin with his grey eyes and tousled black hair. That was the man that had tortured him.

 

Not Jumin.

 

Not the guy he loved.

 

Love.

 

He had a crush on Jumin.

 

The revelation didn't last long before the harsh sound of a whip cracked through the air. In the cell next to him he could see a blond boy, not much younger than him, getting whipped. He seemed to be protecting his cellmate, the redhead who had come to take him away a few days ago. The RFA member. The redhead was unconscious. His body was bruised and slashed with horrid gashes. He could see some of them were an ugly shade of green and oozing pus. Zen blanched at the sight. The blond boy was crying out in pain. He didn't look much better than his partner. Finally, the man put his whip away and dragged his rusty old cart to Zen’s cell. “Drink or be flogged.” Zen looked over at the other two RFA members. Blondie was clutching a jacket and crying into it as he kneeled next to the limp redhead. 

 

“Flogged,” he said softly, and pulled off his costume. The whip lashed at his abs, scarring them. Long cuts were bleeding profusely. Pain shot through his body, white hot. His entire body was burning and it took all his effort not to cry out. By the time the man was done, Zen was trembling and writhing trying to get away from the pain. The man moved on after what felt like an eternity. He lay there gasping. Every breath hurt. He heard a weak voice call out to him from the cell next door.

 

“Zen?” Zen turned his head and was met with wide purple eyes. “Why are you here… Seven just got you out.” Zen bit his lip. The words were out before he could stop them.

 

“I disappointed the Savior. But after rehabilitation, I will return to my acting.” Z said. There was a smile on his face. No. Stop this. Zen fought for some semblance of control but to no avail. He was in too much pain to fight. The blond boy was looking at him in terror.

 

“They… drugged you…” The boy could barely speak. Zen wanted to comfort him. But Zen wasn't here right now. Z was in control.

 

“Tsk tsk. The sooner you give yourself up, the happier you will be.” Z smiled innocently. The blond boy tried to back away, still clinging to the jacket, but Z reached between the bars and yanked the jacket away from the blond boy with a grin. The pain in his stomach was hard to bear. He pulled back gasping. It hurt everywhere. But even so, Z looked at the boy, a dangerous light in his eyes. “You have to move on. Material possessions are not needed to be happy here.” Hot tears rolled down the boy's cheeks, escalating into horrifying gasping sobs of anguish and pain. No. The crying boy triggered something inside of Zen. A memory. A feeling that he couldn't ignore. Guilt. Zen began to cry too.

 

“I'm sorry Yoosung.” Zen gripped the fabric tightly. Tears made their way down his cheeks falling onto Seven's jacket. “I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'm trying to control this but… I'm scared. If I did this after slipping once, what could I do to you if I slip again?” He was terrified. He didn't know how to control his own body. Searing hot pain shot its way through his nerves as he tried to return the jacket. The world was turning white. He could hear Yoosung calling out in concern. Zen clutched the fabric to his chest.

 

“Stay… stay away… I… hurt you…” He mumbled out before the world was engulfed in darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp


	13. Missing in Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone's missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good luck

“Rika, Stop this.” She would not listen. She didn’t listen to him anymore. And he didn’t know what he could do. He made her swear she wouldn’t touch them. Oh god, not them. Hadn’t she already taken away Saeran? Hadn’t she already taken him? Was he not enough for her? He’d already said that he would give himself completely to her. That she could take out anything on him. Why was she targeting them? His eyesight was almost gone but he could imagine her face. The way she threw her head back and laughed a cold, dark laugh. This wasn’t the laugh he loved. That pure innocent laugh was long gone and all she had left was a burning hatred of humanity. And yet he couldn’t get away. He was drawn to her. She was still laughing, her hair bouncing in wavy golden curls of sun. Blinding sun.

 

“Stop? You’re too late V. If you had embraced the real me, things wouldn’t have ended up like this.” Her voice was cold. He could feel the cold gaze she regarded him with. Was what he gave her love? He wasn’t sure. He loved her, but to what end? And why? She was his muse. She was a beautiful angel. That’s what he thought. But now he was beginning to wonder if he had really seen her at all.

 

“I did love you Rika…” He tried to protest but she cut him off.

 

“Lies. You saw me as art, not as a person.” She wasn’t wrong. That didn’t mean she could hurt them like this.

 

“I told you to hurt me!” She huffed out a breath and he felt her hand cup his cheek. It was cold as ice. “Rika…” He felt her lips press against his cheek before going to whisper in his ear.

 

“I am hurting you, Jihyun. The reason they’re here, it’s all your fault.” V felt a shudder run down his spine as her hand left his cheek.

 

“Rika…” He reached out to grab her but he was met with air. He tumbled, a mess of bruised limbs colliding with the dark tile floor. “Rika please…” She laughed again. The room grew colder as her footsteps grew fainter and fainter. He couldn’t feel his cane next to him. It probably had rolled off somewhere when he fell. He shakily tried to crawl forward. A new set of footsteps approached, hesitantly. He felt the cold metal of his cane being thrust into his hands.

 

“You’re pathetic. To be doting on Savior like a fucking dog. She clearly doesn’t want you. Why do you follow her?” Saeran’s voice was sharp and icy. A rough hand yanked him to his feet. “How pathetic.”

 

“It’s for the RFA. If… she could divert her anger onto me, they won’t get hurt.” V shakily tried to make his way to the door.

 

“The door’s the other way.” He could hear the mocking laughter in the Saeran’s voice. It made him slightly happy that even if he suffered, at least Saeran could laugh at it. He turned around, when suddenly he felt a hand on his arm. “I’ll help you into your room. Can’t have you running into walls.” Saeran was surprisingly gentle as he led V to his own room.

 

“Thank you.” He didn’t get a response. V sat on his bed and sighed. If things had been different, maybe, just maybe, he could have been happier. He lay back, pulling the sunglasses off his face. He absentmindedly tossed them aside and lay there. It was dark. He could faintly see the pattern on the creamy white ceiling. When had it gotten this bad? He closed his eyes. There wasn’t much difference whether his eyes were open or not. He heard voices outside in the corridor.

 

“Did you hear? Apparently the heir to C&R went missing.” V sat up in shock. Jumin?

 

“Really? The Chairman’s son? How did you get this information?” The other disciple responded eagerly. V felt dread bubbling in his stomach. What if they had taken him?

 

“I overheard Ren talking about it with Saeran. He did the Savior a lot of wrong. They need to find him quickly so he can be saved.” The photographer relaxed a bit. They hadn’t caught him yet. If Jumin could evade Saeran long enough to form a plan, He could get them out.

 

“So… That means he’ll be here?!” The other one squealed.

 

“Why are you so excited? He hurt the Savior!”

 

“Have you seen how hot he is?! Once he ascends, I’m gonna seduce him.” V almost snorted. There was no way Jumin would like her. Jumin, as far as he could tell, was enamoured with someone else. The disciple who started this gossip actually snorted.

 

“Nah. You know the actor guy? The one with the long white hair that's getting punished right now? He's hot.” V blanched. Zen was here right now? But he thought Zen escaped? He got up and grabbed his cane and ambled forward slowly. He asked a passing group of disciples for help. They led him to the dungeon. He could faintly see Zen's bright white hair. He made his way over to it.

 

“Zen?” He got no response from him, but a different voice rang out.

 

“V?!”

 

V’s heart dropped. “Yoosung? Is that you?” Yoosung let out a groan. There was the sound of shuffling and then he spoke in a quiet, angry voice.

 

“Where the hell were you?”

 

V sighed. “I… I can't tell you.”

 

“Damn you V! I'm right here, nearly beaten to death and you're not even looking at me! Do you even care?” V felt guilty. But it was far too late for explanations. He couldn't tell Yoosung the truth. Not yet. He couldn't tell Yoosung about Rika.

 

“I don't know where you are. I can't see.”

 

“Don't give me that.” He could hear the pain in Yoosung's voice. The best thing at this moment would be to leave. Yoosung wasn't in a state to listen to anything. Furthermore, he had nothing to say.

 

“I'll get you out, Yoosung.” Part of him knew this promise was empty. He got up and had the disciples escort him back to his room.

 

“Stop running away dammit! Answer me! V!” Yoosung screamed. He could hear the bars of his cage rattling as if Yoosung was shaking them. He left resolving to try and talk sense into Rika. But part of him knew that resolve was worthless. He made his way back to his room and collapsed on the bed. Rika was actively hunting the RFA members and had two of them in her clutches. Jumin was missing. Jaehee and MC, were hopefully safe. Saeyoung would be protecting them. He tried to formulate a plan, his head whirling. Trying to get Rika to direct her anger onto him wasn’t working. She had one goal, and that was to get the RFA. And for the millionth time in his life, he felt hopeless, at Rika's mercy again.

 

V didn't know when he had started to cry, but he felt tears slipping down his cheeks as he shut his eyes. He thought of Yoosung in a cell below. He thought of Zen a cell next to him, passed out. This was all his fault. If he had been more firm in getting Rika to therapy, she would have been better. They would have been better. There was a sudden knock on his door. The door opened and he heard Rika's voice.

 

“I heard you went to see the rehabilitation center.” V refused to give her a response. He heard her sigh. “You brought this on them. They'll be better people once they're done.”

 

“That's a lie,” he croaked out. 

 

Rika chuckled. “No it isn't. You just can't embrace their darkness. But I will. They will  be happier.”

 

“Rika, this is madness.” He heard her heels click on the hardwood floor. 

 

“Jumin will soon be found. Then Jaehee and then that wretch they replaced me with. You have no one, Jihyun.” V didn't say a word. She left, slamming the door shut. He wanted the pain to stop. Make it stop. Please. Make it all stop. Suddenly his phone rang. Jumin Han. Ordinarily, he would have ignored it. But these weren't ordinary circumstances. He picked up the phone.

 

“Hello Jumin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out what Jumin called for cuz I ain't telling you
> 
> Vionvend doesn't know either :)


	14. Fickle Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hated V
> 
> He loved V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff

Saeran was met with a sleeping V when he came to check on him a few hours later. The lights were on, but he doubt it mattered to the blind man. He couldn't even see his cane rolling a few feet in front of him. It was honestly pathetic to watch him crawl across the floor cluelessly. That was the only reason he had helped the man. Nothing else. He padded towards where V was sleeping restlessly, his hair fanned across the pillow. As Saeran watched, he mumbled something before nearly rolling off the bed. Rushing to his side, he pushed V back onto the bed. Some of his hair was covering his face, and Saeran gently brushed it onto the pillow. V started to stir, and Saeran quickly retracted his hand and took a step backwards.   
  
“…Rika…?”   
  
Saeran covered his mouth with one hand and swiftly followed the wall with the other until he reached the door Looking back, he saw V start to sit up, so he slipped through the doorway and lightly locked the door behind him. He leaned against the wall outside V’s room, heart beating wildly. He checked to see if anyone was watching before sliding down and sitting with his knees to his chest and back to the wall. He silently begged for his heart to slow down. He couldn’t be seen like this. Of course the moment he actually thought that, one of the disciples came along.

 

“Saeran are you okay?” 

 

Saeran scowled. “I'm fine Ren.” 

 

Ren just smiled at him warmly. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Saeran bit his lip. Ren was very friendly, almost to the point of a crush. Suddenly the image of a certain blue-haired man flashed through his head.

 

Something about his expression must have changed because Ren immediately grinned even wider. “Does it have to do with the person residing in the room behind you?”

 

Saeran nearly had a heart attack at the incredible intuitiveness of the younger believer. “No. Never. And if I hear you mention this to anyone, I'll skewer you.”

 

Ren looked away. “Okay, but that man's a traitor. Why'd you fall for him?” He seemed to be asking for himself.

 

“I… I didn't fall for him! It's nothing.” With a scowl, Saeran turned on his heel and walked away. He could feel Ren's eyes on him as he left. 

 

He slammed the door to his room shut and slid to his knees. His head was aching. He didn't know how it had happened but, he was in love. He gripped his head, gasping as his thoughts churned. They were pounding against his temples. Pounding against his skull. Pounding in his ears. Pounding at the… door?

 

Saeran hesitantly opened the door. There stood Savior. Next to her was Ren with a sly smirk on his face that made his blood run cold. The Savior's smile was saccharine. “Saeran. I have a special mission for you.”

 

“What is it, Savior?”

 

“I want you to torture Jihyun.” Saeran froze. It felt like his entire body was made of lead.  “You seem to have visited him frequently,” the Savior continued. “I was going to torture him myself, seeing as he refused to comply, but you seem fit for the job.”

 

Saeran sneered. “With all due respect Savior, why can't Ren do it?” 

 

Ren's smile widened. “I'd love to, but I can't stand the sight of blood.” Liar. 

 

The Savior smiled.“It's settled then. Take Jihyun to the Rehabilitation Center and.. you know what to do.” No. No. He couldn't. Not to V. His heart was pounding as he nodded mechanically.

 

“Y-yes Savior.”

 

She smiled and stalked out of the room. Ren stayed behind, golden eyes flashing. “You should have just chosen me when you had the chance.” He turned on his heel and slammed the door shut. Saeran sank to his knees. He hated himself. He hated his heart for doing this. Why. V, why…

 

_ “V, why are you taking photos of me?” Saeran scowled. He never really liked photos. _

 

_ “You're a very good muse. I enjoy taking your photos.” V smiled softly. His eyes were hesitant despite his happy tone. “Saeran… promise me you'll be careful…” _

 

_ Saeran tilted his head in confusion. “I'm just going on a trip with Rika . It'll be fine.”  _

 

_ V sighed. “Yeah… it will be fine.” _

 

Liar. V was a liar. This wasn't fine. His head was aching and he could barely see the room. It was fading, almost pulsing in time with the pain in his head. He didn't remember a conversation like that before. Had it really happened? He didn't know. All he knew was that his heart was now filled with hatred for V. He lay gasping on the floor.

 

He hated V.

 

He hated V.

 

He hated... the thought of hurting V.

 

His heart was twisting back and forth between hatred and affection. It hurt. But hurting V would hurt more. Something wet dripped onto the tile below. Tears. He clutched at his chest and screamed. He screamed till his throat was raw and his voice was gone and all he could taste was salty tears. His tears. His fickle heart switching between killing V to end this confusion, and killing himself to end the pain. In the end, his fickle heart couldn't decide, leaving him breathless, collapsed on the floor and regretfully alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Then everything goes to shit again


	15. Option C

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploding door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this idea came from one of my favorite books of all time, The Mysterious Benedict Society, I believe it was the third one, The Prisoners Dilemma. this chapter is named Option C, dedicated to that. So enjoy!!

MC had finally grown tired of petting the cat. Of course, Jumin had stockpiled every necessity in his house, but nothing could possibly take away the feeling of dread that built, every second spent in the lonely penthouse was a second closer to losing their friends. Jaehee had made every call possible and even tried to kick down the door at some point. It was all pointless. MC had tried talking to the guard, but he wouldn’t let her out. “It’s Mr. Han’s orders.” MC mocked the guard as she flopped back onto the bed. It was soft and comfortable, but all this comfort made her queasy. She felt useless and she hated it. Jaehee sighed and sat down next to her. 

 

“It’s no use. There’s no other way to escape.” Jaehee said softly as she Squeezed MC’s hand. 

 

MC bit her lip and yelled at the locked penthouse door. “Mr. Guard?” A muffled ‘yes?’ could be heard from the other side. “Jaehee and I are going to have really loud sex and ruin your boss’s sheets.” 

 

Jaehee turned bright red and gasped. “MC!” 

 

The guard just sighed heavily. “I’ll send for laundry when you’re done.” Dammit. No reaction. Although, Jaehee covering her beet red face with her hands was a definite plus. She sat up and kissed her blushing girlfriend on the cheek.

 

“Sorry babe. I tried.” Jaehee was quiet for a few minutes as her blush died down. She then wandered over to the bookcase, fingers trailing over the spines. She sighed picking out a book to read and sitting back on the bed. MC began to read over her shoulder, although both of their minds were on anything but the story. Was Jumin captured? Did they drug Zen again? And just when they thought they were getting through to him too. What about Yoosung and Seven? Her stomach began to somersault. That was her fault. She told him to go. That was her fault. She’d never let Jaehee know that’s what she was thinking. Jaehee would be so mad. MC sighed and rested her chin on Jaehee’s shoulder. Jaehee immediately wrapped her arm around her waist, pulling her closer as she read. They read to book well into the evening, when nearing the end, Jaehee dropped the book.

 

“Jaehee are you alright?” MC frowned as she leaned down to pick up the book. Jaehee didn’t respond. Instead she suddenly shot up and rushed over to the window. She opened it, letting the cool, evening breeze ruffle her hair. There was the sound of honking below as people angrily tried to make it to where they needed to go. Jaehee smirked. 

 

“Hey MC? I think I found our exit.”

“MC! No! MC! Close the window, please! We can figure this out!” Jaehee screamed frantically as MC perched on the windowsill, her feet dangling over the edge.

 

“I can’t do this Jaehee! I can’t sit still while they’re dying! It’s my fault Seven went there in the first place!”

 

“MC! NO! MC, please! She’s gonna jump! Someone help!” The guard threw open the door, and was promptly met with a heel to the stomach. He stumbled back, clutching his stomach as Jaehee dropped to a defensive stance. MC turned around and jumped down from the window and grabbed Jaehee’s hand. They bolted out of the door past a winded guard to the elevator. Footsteps followed close behind, the elevator doors sliding shut just before the guard’s face. MC leaned against the wall gasping for breath. Jaehee ran a hand through her hair and let out a small chuckle of disbelief. 

 

“We did it.” She whispered. “It worked!” 

 

MC began to laugh with her. “We did it babe!” Jaehee pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. “We made it out.”

 

“So what next?” Jaehee asked softly.

 

“Well, they’ll expect us to go to the cafe, so we have to go somewhere else.” MC lit up. “Seven’s bunker!” 

 

Jaehee looked at her in confusion. “How will we get in?” 

 

MC grinned. “I did tell him I knew Arabic.”

 

“You were serious?!” MC laughed at Jaehee’s surprised expression.

 

“No.. But I am the RFA party coordinator after all. Which means, I have many, many connections.”

 

The door was talking. MC honestly wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but Seven’s door was smart. 

 

“Say “Hello Master.” in Arabic.” MC bit her lip and dialed a number.

 

“Hello? Mr. Oil Prince? Hi! Yes, It’s nice to hear from you! Listen, I’m really sorry to bother you but I need some help. There’s a client that needs to be talked to, but they only know arabic. Could you say “Hello Master” for us? Master? Oh yeah he’s a Master of.. Um.. Cats. Yes. Strange I know.”

 

MC held the speaker of her phone up to the microphone as the Oil Prince spoke. The door made a dinging sound, like a sound of approval. MC put the phone back to her ear as Jaehee watched in awe. “Oh yes I think that worked! Thank you, that’s all we needed. Yes, I look forward to seeing you at our next party! Bye.”

 

“You know I love you, right?” Jaehee said in an awed whisper. MC smiled. 

 

“I do, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it.” Jaehee gave her the cutest smile, and she could swear her heart was about to melt. 

 

“Scanning… Scanning… Scanning. Running through databases…. MC and Jaehee Kang are not hostile. Proceed with questioning.” The door handle blinked a soft yellow. MC bit her lip. Questioning? Seven barely told anyone about himself. She didn’t know how to answer these. 

 

“Question One: Who is the love of Agent Seven’s life?”

 

“Yoosung Kim.” Jaehee responded quickly. The door dinged.

“Correct.” 

 

“Question Two: What is the square root of Seven’s codename in binary?”

 

MC bit her lip. What the hell? Jaehee was on her phone frantically searching for the translation. 

 

“11010.” Jaehee said quickly. The door dinged. MC let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

 

“Correct, but even a gorilla could solve that faster.”

 

“Finally, who does Seven miss the most?” 

 

MC froze. A personal question. They knew practically nothing about Seven. There was no way to answer this right. “...Rika?” She said hesitantly.

 

“Wrong answer. Commence countdown. Bunker will explode in 10… 9….”

 

MC began to panic. Shit, shit, shit. She faintly registered Jaehee tugging on her arm. “MC, we have to go.”

 

8

 

“No!” She racked her brain. Seven had told her something. Something about his past in his weird, twisted way.

 

7

 

Something about cats? A dream? 

 

6

 

He didn’t like the Mother Cat. But he wanted to live happily with his brother cat. That’s what he had said.

 

5

 

“MC, run!” Jaehee tugged harder, pulling her away from the door. MC resisted. She had one shot. She prayed that she had gotten this right. 

 

4

 

Jaehee huffed and picked her up effortlessly. MC kicked frantically. “No! Wait I got this!” MC screamed

 

3

 

“His brother!” She screamed at the door.

 

The door stopped.

 

“Correct. Congrats on not being turned to ashes.” The light on the handle turned green. Jaehee squeezed MC tightly. 

 

“You did it. You.. did it!” She squealed. “We’re not dead.”

 

“Congratulations.” A dry voice came from the doorway. “Although, I’m not quite sure what you’re doing here.”  

 

Jaehee nearly dropped MC

 

“Jumin?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jumin?!
> 
> Vionvend is confused as well.


	16. The Part That I Don't Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Major Trigger Warnings: Self Harm and Graphic Descriptions of Torture. Also Dissociative Identity Disorder.
> 
> Ray is the weak, Saeran is the strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major Trigger Warnings: Self Harm and Graphic Descriptions of Torture. Also Dissociative Identity Disorder
> 
> BE CAUTIOUS
> 
> IF THIS STUFF MAKES YOU SICK, S T O P
> 
> Anyways, um.. Shit's getting serious. I switch between Ray and Saeran, depending on which alter is in control. Um I did a lot of research on this, so hopefully it's accurate? If you see anything I could make better, point it out please. Also Dissociative Identity Disorder usually starts around the age of 20. Saeran is 21 so it's pretty close. It's really sad. Also I PROMISE there's a happy ending.

IF YOU DIDN'T READ THE CHAPTER SUMMARY OR NOTES:

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Self Harm and Graphic Descriptions of Torture. Also Dissociative Identity Disorder.

[Saeran](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rBLvJM9McM) tipped the bottle to his lips and downed it like there was no tomorrow. He wished there was no tomorrow. The blue liquid was bitter and made him feel hazy. It was so good, to forget the mess he was in. The bottle clattered to the floor amongst the others. Which one was this? His third? Maybe if he overdosed on elixir he wouldn’t have to hurt V. Tomorrow. His head rolled back as he stared at the ceiling. The elixir was a poor substitute for alcohol in all senses except one, it helped him forget.

 

Saeran woke up with a splitting headache as he stumbled out of his armchair. He looked back at the bottles littering the ground with a strange sense of disassociation. That couldn’t have been him. He wasn’t that weak. He snorted, staggering towards the bathroom and splashing water on his face. His pupils were dilated. He towelled his face off, ignoring the strange lurching feeling in his stomach. He threw open the door to see the Savior there. “Good Morning, Savior.”

 

The Savior seemed to take in his appearance and smirked. “Are you ready to serve me in your fullest capacity?”

 

“Yes, Savior.” Saeran’s voice was flat, almost programmed. The Savior moved out of the doorway to let Saeran pass. As he tottered by, her eyes fell on the bottles strewn on the floor. Her smirk widened, as she turned and walked in the other direction.

 

By the time Saeran had reached  V’s room, he seemed to have gained control of his limbs. One of the benefits of drinking elixir was that the hangover wasn’t longstanding. The pounding in Saeran’s head was gone, and he felt strangely unaffected by his crush.

 

Crush? What crush?

 

Saeran knitted his eyebrows together as he gripped the doorknob. He didn’t have a crush on V. The other one did. The weak one. Saeran scowled. He had no feelings for V. The man was just a toy. A plaything. And he could play with him until he broke.

 

He opened the door to see V fast asleep. Some part of him thought he was cute. The pounding headache returned as he felt around for the lightswitch. The room was so bright. Ray turned off the lights and instantly felt better. His heart began to pound as he approached the blue-haired man. Sunlight streamed through a gap in the heavy curtains, playing across V’s face and landing on a vase full of roses. They were a strange indigo color. Ray plucked one out of the vase and smelled it. It smelled too sweet, like a heavy perfume. The headache returned. Ray clutched at his head, hissing softly in pain. He grabbed onto the bedpost, his breaths coming out in gasps. His eyes narrowed at the flower. What was this weak, delicate thing? Saeran crushed it in his hand. Useless. The flower petals scattered over the bed and Saeran felt a burning hatred for Ray well up in his throat. That insolent fool. Weak. He was everything he didn’t want, all the traits he despised about himself balled up into a sniveling, pathetic excuse of a person.

 

He forcefully grabbed V and yanked him out of bed. The older man toppled to the ground, groaning. Saeran kicked at his side. “Get up, toy. It’s time to play.”

 

V squinted up at him. “Saeran? What’s.. Going on?”

 

Saeran sneered and hauled him to his feet. “We’re gonna play a little game. Hopefully, you’ll make it interesting. Now move.”

 

V followed without so much as a complaint. Saeran led him to the dungeon shoved him onto the stone slab. There was a satisfying crack as V’s nose collided with the stone. He screamed. Saeran took a knife and sliced through the dark grey shirt V was wearing. He traced the tip along his spine. “Saeran…” V gasped out weakly, “Don’t…” He suddenly fell silent.

 

Saeran laughed. “Don’t? Don’t what? Hurt you? Aww, it’s no fun if you clam up like that. Scream, toy. That’s your purpose. To entertain me.” He set the knife down.

 

Yoosung whimpered and Saeran turned towards him, grinning maniacally. “You’ll be my next toy. Once I break this one, you’ll be next.” He watched amused as the blond boy quivered. He turned his attention back to V, chaining him to the slab. He walked over to the firepit and pulled out a skewer. The end was glowing orange. He studied it with fascination before pressing it against V’s skin.

 

The man screamed in agony, the sound bouncing off the walls of the dungeon. He could see Z shoot upright and stare at the scene in morbid horror. He could hear the flesh sizzle as he marked patterns into his skin. He giggled, tossing the skewer back into the pit. He grabbed V by the hair and pulled his head to face him. The photographer’s face was covered in blood. His nose was shattered. There were tears in his pale, unfocused eyes. Saeran began to laugh hysterically, picking up the knife and lopping off chunks of V’s hair. His scalp began to bleed in the places where he had cut too close. He then picked up the skewer and repeated the process all over again, until V’s body could no longer handle the pain, and gave out.

 

The screams abruptly stopped, causing Saeran to drop the skewer and pull V’s head up by whatever hair was remaining. “What? Did I break you?” He cackled at the lack of a response. That cackle then turned to madness, his laughter echoing in the dungeon. His crazed eyes began to well up with tears, and by the time they had flooded over, he was no longer laughing, but sobbing.

 

“No… no no no…” Ray sobbed. “NO! Don’t leave me! You can’t leave me here. You can’t leave me to suffer alone. No!” He began to frantically shake the blue-haired man. “V, don’t leave me!” He desperately clutched at his crush’s broken body. He undid the restraints and held him against his chest, quietly sobbing into what remained of V’s shirt.

 

Ray’s throat was raw. The Savior had congratulated him on his work, but if anything he felt horrified. He could still vividly see the disciples dragging V’s limp, mangled body to his room. He was alive, but only just, and had Saeran gone any farther, V would have been as good as dead. He stared down at the blood staining his sleeve. He tossed his jacket aside in disgust and terror. It hit the coffee table with a clang. Ray turned his attention to the knife he had been gripping. The Savior had given it to him, to commemorate a job well done. Ray wanted to throw up.

 

Was this what a good job was?

 

He pressed the knife against his exposed wrist. One cut for every mark he had placed on V’s body. One cut for every scream of agony. He stared, with a strange sense of detachment at the blood oozing from the two cuts. And then, curiously, he felt happy. He’d soon be rid of this body that resembled his brother’s. He could slowly cut away at his flesh. He could be free of this prison, where he looked like the very monstrosity that abandoned him. Instantly, Ray felt ashamed. What kind of a monster was he? To use punishing himself as an excuse to be free of his prison? No. If he really wanted to punish himself, he would suffer. He would suffer in the body that made him so similar to his brother. He would keep the parts of him he didn’t want and endure.

 

He flung the knife away and glared at the cuts on his wrist in distaste. He was a coward, a good for nothing scoundrel. Ray was a coward. Saeran made a vow in that moment. That he would do whatever it took to weed out Ray. To end him. To get rid of the parts of him he didn’t want. Saeran chuckled softly, his eyes dancing on the edge of madness. This was the end of Ray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "youre finally going to have to add legit tws to the chapters
> 
> are you proud of yourself"
> 
> -Vionvend when she read my drafts.
> 
> And my response is:
> 
> Very.
> 
>  
> 
> Also V's hair will grow back don't worry.


	17. For Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all for him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A plan, fluff, longing,
> 
> Vanderwood.

Jumin ushered the two confused girls inside and shut the door. He had no clue how they had escaped his penthouse, but he made a mental note to fire all the guards he had. Were they so incompetent that they couldn’t prevent his former assistant and her girlfriend from escaping a locked room? He rubbed the crease between his brows and sighed. He hadn’t slept for days, trying to gather information on Mint Eye. Luckily, V had picked up for once, giving him the answers to Luciel’s bunker’s security system. Unfortunately, however, Luciel had taken any details he had collected with him. Luciel’s so called ‘maid’ had been ransacking the place when he got there. He had learned that Vanderwood was an agent from Luciel’s agency, sent to keep an eye on him. They managed to strike a deal. Jumin would lend his resources, Vanderwood would lend his skills, and together they can find Luciel and everyone else who was taken. 

 

Vanderwood looked at the newcomers and scowled. “What are they doing here? Did they contact V too?”

 

Jumin shook his head. “I have no clue. I had hoped they would have some common sense to run away when the door threatened to explode, but someone is a bit too headstrong.”

 

“You…. you were going to let us get blown up?!” Jaehee gaped at her former boss, hugging her girlfriend to her chest.

 

“Of course not. I was going to stop the countdown if you didn’t move away. More specifically, Vanderwood was.”

 

The two girls turned their attention to the other man, who was furiously hacking away, scowl permanently set onto his face. “That’s Vanderwood? But.. he’s a guy?”

 

The man in question turned around sharply. “Of course I’m a guy, Seven just has a strange, obnoxious sense of humor.”

 

MC bit her lip. “S..sorry.”

 

Jumin, deep in thought, had absentmindedly wandered into one of the many other rooms in Seven’s house, leaving Jaehee and MC with Vanderwood. He needed to know what they were doing to Zen. Sometime over the past few days, the actor had become his first priority. Oh who was he kidding? The actor had been his priority for several years now. 

 

He could hear Vanderwood huff. “Damn. I don’t trust him enough to let him wander wherever he likes.” He followed Jumin into the next room, mumbling complaints under his breath. He had brought Luciel’s laptop with him and began to hack. Jumin leaned against the doorway and watched the two girls interact. MC had a small frown on her face as she noticed Jaehee’s expression. Her girlfriend had an empty smile plastered across her face, one that Jumin could now distinguish from her real smile.

 

“Come on, let’s sit.” MC gently guided Jaehee to the couch. Jaehee allowed herself to be pulled along and collapsed next to her, head falling into her lap. Something about running from a door that was threatening to kill you after being locked in his apartment seemed to have drained all the energy from her. She closed her eyes as MC threaded her fingers through her hair and slowly started detangling it. The scene was so domestic it hurt for Jumin to watch. And yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away, hoping that one day, it would be him and Zen, curled up on a couch in a little bubble of their own.

 

Something must have changed on her face, as MC’s fingers stopped, and she leaned down, the ends of her hair tickling Jaehee’s face. Jaehee’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at MC before closing them again as she placed a light kiss on Jaehee’s nose. With her head on MC’s lap, she couldn’t retaliate in the same manner, so she settled for reaching around MC and sliding her hand underneath her shirt. Almost instantly, MC’s face reddened, and she let out a squeak of protest.

 

Jumin immediately turned around and left the room. So it was true. Couples who underwent stressful situations were a lot more likely to have sex when they have time to recuperate. He wasn’t about to be a witness to that. Vanderwood looked up and studied his slightly flushed face.

 

“Please tell me they’re not fucking on the couch.”

 

Jumin sighed. “I would but I’d be lying.”

 

Vanderwood turned a shade of red that rivaled Luciel’s hair. “Goddamnit! I am not cleaning that.” Jumin just looked away. Thank god for Luciel’s soundproof walls. 

 

“Leaving that aside, have you managed to get any information?” 

 

“No. Hacking isn’t my forte. I’m more of a taze it and blaze it kinda guy.”  Vanderwood scowled. “And Seven is damn good at encryptions.”

 

“Hm. Maybe Assis-” He stopped himself for two reasons. One, Jaehee was no longer his assistant. And two, if what he thought was happening out there was happening, then Jaehee would be in no position to function. “Nevermind.”

 

“Hey, did that V guy of yours give you any information?” 

 

“No, why would he. I doubt he knows what Mint Eye is.” Although something in his gut was telling him otherwise, Jumin chose to ignore it. V wasn’t lying to him. He wouldn’t.

 

“Try calling him again. If he knows Seven’s address and the answers to the questions, then he could know something about the encryption system.” Jumin picked up his phone and began to dial V. No one picked up. That wasn’t odd, considering how distant he had been. 

  
  


Jumin sighed. “No response.” 

 

Vanderwood scowled and began to hack again. After a while, He chucked the laptop aside in frustration. “Dammit Seven!” 

 

“How much have you broken through?” 

 

“Six percent.” 

 

Jumin’s eyes widened. He knew Luciel was good, but not this good. Vanderwood had been hacking for a day and a half, and every minute that ticked by was agony, wondering what was happening to Zen and this pathetic excuse for a secret agent was doing practically nothing. He felt furious. “Fine. Agent Vanderwood. If you can’t hack, I believe we will have use force.”

 

Vanderwood stared at him, and eyebrow raised. “And where will we get enough people for force? I mean I’m all for it, but that sounds like suicide.”

 

Jumin began toying with his cuffs. “You forget, Agent Vanderwood,” He smirked. “I’m a trust fund jerk.”

 

Vanderwood stared at him in confusion. “I have no clue whether that was meant to be reassuring or not. So, what is the plan?”

Jumin tilted his head to the side and studied his cuffs for a moment. “Can you use a gun?”

 

Vanderwood raised an eyebrow. “Yeah duh.”

 

“Hm, perhaps that wasn’t the right question. Are you a good shot?” Jumin held his breath. This entire plan was dependent on the fact that Vanderwood was a good shot. If he wasn’t, well he’d have to come up with something new. 

 

Vanderwood snorted and pulled a gun out of his holster. He twirled it around his fingers for a second before firing it. There was a loud bang and Jumin squeezed his eyes shut. He could hear the bullet whistle as it rushed past his ear and made a dent in the wall behind him.

 

He opened his eyes to see the empty smoking barrel of the gun pointed at his face. The door flew open as MC and Jaehee rushed in. They were wearing their clothes, Jumin noted vaguely. Jaehee took in the situation and quickly side kicked Vanderwood in the gut. Vanderwood groaned, the gun dropping to the ground in a clatter.

 

“What the hell!” MC shrieked. “We were sleeping and all of a sudden there was a gunshot! You scared the shit out of us.”

 

“Oh, you were sleeping.” Jumin muttered.

 

MC raised an eyebrow at him. “Um… what did you think we were doing?”

 

Jumin stared at Vanderwood rolling on the floor in pain. The gun that was in his hand was now in Jaehee's, aimed at the agent's face. He decided not to say anything about what he had thought, lest he be the one on the floor. “No comment.”

MC glared at him. “Oh my god, you perv!” 

Jaehee sighed. “Regardless of whatever Mr. Han was thinking, we have more pressing matters.” His former assistant cocked the gun, hands shaking. “Vanderwood. Why were you aiming at Jumin?”

Vanderwood gave Jumin a deadpan stare. “Can you tell her to let up?”

“Jaehee, it’s fine. He was demonstrating his skills.” 

Jaehee scowled. “Couldn’t he have found a better way to demonstrate this?”

Jumin shrugged.

MC squinted at him. Jaehee tossed the gun aside. “Anyways, if he was showing you his skills, you must have a plan, right?”

“Jaehee and Vanderwood are our infiltration team.  MC is in charge of the getaway vehicle.”

“Hey! That’s not a real job.”

“It is real and important. If we don’t have a vehicle to get away on, we might as well be committing suicide.” Jumin studied his tie. MC let out a resigned sigh, but made no other move to oppose him.

“It’s suicide either way. They probably have hundreds of people.” Vanderwood grumbled.

“Then we will have hundreds of people as well. They are going to be our distraction.” Jumin countered. He could give the bodyguards he already had a second chance, and potentially hire hundreds more. He had the means. Sure he had spent a lot of money searching for Zen, the first three months he had disappeared, but he had more. And he was willing to spend it all, if it meant he’d get him back.

Jaehee shot him a nervous glance. “Mr. Han. I don’t think you should spend your money on hiring a bunch of people to-”

“It’s worth it for him.” Jumin interjected. Jaehee fell silent. He never would have said it out loud, had it been a different time. But somehow, it didn’t feel too bad to admit it. His lips curved into a  smile. Yes. It was worth it for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jumin's money spending habits are unhealthy damn. How ooc is that. Well everyone becomes ooc because of 
> 
> l o v e


	18. April Fool's :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was his Romeo
> 
> And all he wanted was to be Juliet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major Character Death

_ Two households, both alike in dignity, _

_ In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, _

_ From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, _

_ Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. _

 

The plan went horribly wrong from the beginning. One of the helicopter’s engines failed, sending it spiraling into the forest during the flight there. Jumin was praying to God, hoping that the helicopter that he and Jaehee were on wouldn’t fail. To make matters worse, the entirety of Mint Eye seemed to know they were coming. Thousands of robed figures stood out in the courtyard in neatly arranged rows. The front row had missile launchers. Jumin didn’t even want to know what kind of budget this place had, and what else they had in store for him. Vanderwood, who had arrived with MC in the getaway car, was in the front of the mass of soldiers. He was down on his knees. Jumin had no clue what to do in this situation. It was hopeless.

 

One robed man strode forward as the helicopter landed in front of the hooded figures. Jumin climbed out and watched as the man raised Vanderwood’s own gun to the back of the agent’s head. He looked away as a resounding gunshot filled the air. His ears were ringing as he vaguely registered the trees fluttering. Hundreds of birds rose into the air, startled by the sudden sound. Jaehee was shaking his arm, trying to get him back into the helicopter. His feet stayed planted. He couldn’t move. The ringing in his ears faded as he observed the damp patch in the ground, where the blood had sunk into the earth. Jumin stared at his hands. This was his fault. Vanderwood had said this was suicide, but he hadn’t listened. And now he was the first on to get killed. He could hear a rush of footsteps.

 

“Jaehee! Jumin! Let’s go!” MC began to tug on his other arm. Jumin refused to move. 

 

“Name your price.” Jumin called out. “We can have a civil discussion.”

 

“Jumin you idiot! They have missile launchers! They’re not negotiating!” Jaehee hissed. 

 

Jumin looked at the green roofs of the building. “If I give myself to you, will you let them go?” Jumin heard a cold chuckle.

 

“Civil as always, Jumin.” That voice. He knew that voice. It wasn’t coming from anywhere in the courtyard. It must have been over the speakers. That voice had haunted his dreams, long before Zen entered them. Rika. His first love. A love that was supposed to be dead. This voice was not supposed to be haunting him any longer and yet, it was loud and clear. “Kill the replacement.” Before Jumin could even figure out who she meant, the crack of a gunshot filled the air. He heard MC gasp and Jaehee screamed in horror, as if one shot had killed them both. It might as well have. Jaehee was on her knees clutching at her girlfriend, who lay limp on the ground.

 

Her eyes were dulled.

 

And there was a perfect hole in the center of her head.

 

She let out a few shallow breaths, before she became lifeless, like a rag doll.Jumin stumbled back in terror as  Jaehee looked up at him with red rimmed eyes.

 

“This is your fault.” She whispered. And that’s what hit him the most. She could have screamed, but no. She whispered it, as if she had resigned to hate him for the rest of his life, and there was nothing on earth he could possibly do to gain her trust again. 

 

Suddenly, the entirety of the building, green roof and all, exploded. Jumin was thrown forward from the force of the explosion as the ground rumbled. The building collapsed in on itself and the only thing Jumin could think of was Zen, Zen trapped in there, Zen suffocating, Zen dying, and it was all his fault. He stared wide-eyed as debris and smoke clouded his vision. People were fleeing, screaming, but the only noise he heard was the ringing in his ears. There was blood. So much blood on his hands due to his reckless attitude. Because he put his emotions before lives. And there was no point to any of the civility he had learned over the years, if he had chosen to throw it away at this cost.

 

_ From forth the fatal loins of these two foes _

_ A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; _

_ Whose misadventured piteous overthrows _

_ Do with their death bury their parents' strife. _

 

Ray trembled as his hand hovered over the detonation button. He was at his wits end. The Savior, who had promised to never leave him, had begun to show favoritism towards Saeyoung. Just like his mother did. She had told him to stop his beatings. To make sure that he came back to full health. Ray was sick of it. And then there was V. The only light in this filthy, wretched place. He had once thought that everyone else glowed with the light of salvation. Not anymore. The Savior had forced him to torture V to near death and each time a lash fell on his back, each time he cried out in pain, Ray could feel a part of him whither away. Ray angrily wiped away the tears forming in his eyes. Saeyoung. Rika. They all left him. Would V leave him too? No. He wouldn't allow it. Ray pressed the button. 

 

It was hard to describe the feeling he had when Rika stumbled through the door. Her hair was disheveled and she glared at him as the building shook. The East wing of the build had detonated. The building rumbled again. Now the West wing. Rika ran a hand through her tangled hair.

 

“What are you doing!” Rika screeched. Ray began to giggle.

 

“Everyone is leaving me. I won't let them. I won’t let you.” He felt giddy. He and V would be happy after death. Just the two of them together. And he wouldn't leave. Rika frantically tried to stop the bombs as the North wing was decimated. The roof was beginning to cave in. Rika reached towards the button to shut down the system. Saeran, for once, wasn't fighting for control. He seemed to like the idea of destroying everyone else, even if it wasn’t for the same reason as Ray. They acted in unison, his mind completely clear as he snatched his gun from his holster and fired it at her arm. She screamed and clutched at it, madness dancing in her eyes. He supposed there was madness dancing in his. The was a loud crack as a chunk of the ceiling fell and landed between them. He stumbled back, before cocking his pistol. He aimed it at her heart, the gun firing the moment the South Wing exploded. 

 

Rika collapsed to the floor, which was now tilting. The ceiling was falling, piece by piece. Ray had the satisfaction of watching a particularly large hunk of stone crush Rika’s legs. He thought of the irony. He fell in love with someone from the RFA, the organization he despised so much. “Although,” He mused aloud. “We are quite similar, wanting to make the world a better place. It’s just our methods are better.” He then laughed suddenly. As if in response, the building quivered. Not much longer now. Soon he’d be dead. “It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. Star crossed lovers, taking their life. And bury their parents strife.” He began to laugh again. He laughed and laughed as cracks snaked their way up the walls, splitting wider and wider. And in one instant, the roof and walls caved in, sending a torrent of dust and rocks his way. There was only pain for an instant before he could feel nothing more. 

  
  


_ A glooming peace this morning with it brings; _ __  
_ The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head: _ __  
_ Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; _ _  
_ __ Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:

 

The air was hazy with dust, blocking out the morning sun. Jumin stumbled towards the wreckage screaming Zen’s name. It echoed in the ruins, and was met with no response. He could hear crying coming from his left. He stumbled towards it, hope building in his chest. If someone was alive, then Zen could be as well. The crying was pained and he could see flashes of wavy blond hair, streaked with grey, through the shifting dust. 

 

“Yoosung?” Jumin whispered. And despite being a whisper, it seemed to echo in the silence. The boy looked up at him, purple eyes brimming with tears. Jumin’s heart stopped. Cradled in his arms was Luciel. He was shirtless, covered in still bleeding gashes. Some of them were a ill shade of green. And he wasn’t moving. His eyes were shut. 

 

“J-jumin?” Yoosung whispered. “Jumin.. You’re too late. H- he threw himself on top of me when the building-” He cut himself off with sharp sobs, each one cutting into Jumin like a knife. “H-he stopped.. Stopped a rock from.. And he.. Wasn’t moving.” The boy could barely speak full sentences. “Why are they all leaving me?” He whispered. “Rika… Seven…” Jumin didn’t have the heart to tell him it was Rika who ran this place. He didn’t have any words to say. 

 

“Yoosung…” He cleared his throat. He tried to speak when suddenly something caught his eye. Long flowing white hair, stained with ash and blood. He ran towards it, blinking away the dust and tears in his eyes. It was just like he feared. Zen lay underneath chunks of the ceiling. The metal bars of a cage had impaled his arm. Jumin sank to his knees. The actor was also covered in gashes. Scars adorning his body and yet somehow, he still managed to look beautiful. He always looked beautiful. Zen’s eyes were wide open. Jumin closed them.He felt a surge of anger, mixed with adrenaline. He took his frustrations out on the rocks pushing them off of his crush with a strength he never had. A strength he wished he had before this mess happened. Suddenly as quickly as it came, his strength left, leaving him just as hopeless as before. He knelt by Zen’s side again. 

 

“Zen.” There was no response, as expected, but that was the moment where it hit him. Zen was dead. Zen never knew his feelings. Zen died hating him, despising him. The only possible word to describe his feelings was anguish. This was all his fault. Maybe if he had supplied more bodyguards. Maybe if he knew when to give up. Maybe if he had confessed.

 

Maybe 

Maybe

Maybe

 

Guilt. That’s all he could feel. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he brushed the hair from Zen’s face. He let out a choked up laugh. “You know… I actually saw one of your plays. It was Romeo and Juliet. I got the best seats I could.” He sighed. “I never told you, because I knew you would hate it. I hated it. I hated how… how I wished I was Juliet. That you would look at me the way you looked at her on that stage. And I promised myself that if I ever got the courage to confess, and if you said yes, our ending would be happier.” He smiled bitterly at the irony of it. He had made so many promises, and he had broken them all. What good was this one? “Maybe I just don’t deserve you. I was born with everything… and yet the one thing I want, the one thing I would give up all I have for, I don’t deserve. Maybe you were never meant to be mine.” Jumin could almost imagine what Zen would say. How he would look affronted. Yell at him saying people aren’t things to be owned. His eyes fell on the gun in his holster. Maybe he could see him again.

 

Maybe

Maybe 

Maybe

 

Then he realised something. That he would have to live with this guilt for the rest of his life. He picked the gun up, feeling it’s weight in his hands. It was heavy. It felt like lead. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, interlacing his fingers through Zen’s. The actor’s hands were ice cold. “I’m sorry, I’m not brave like you. I can’t live like this.” Tears traced Jumin’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry.” He pressed the cold muzzle to the side of his head. “I promised myself.. But what good is one promise kept in the millions I’ve broken.. Jumin squeezed Zen’s hand. “I should say it once.” He took a deep breath.

 

“I love you.”

 

He could barely register Jaehee yelling at him to stop, hobbling towards him with a man’s arm draped around her shoulder. V. The photographer was shuffling forward, eyes glassy. His blue hair was cut off haphazardly. Jumin’s eyes blurred with tears. “I’m sorry.” He mouthed, and pulled the trigger. 

 

_ For never was a story of more woe _

_ Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats. You made it to the end of the fic! Did I promise you a happy ending? Well, this is happier compared to eternal torture, is it not?
> 
>  
> 
> Lmao jk jk the story will continue and they will be happy :)


	19. Bright and Positive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something finally goes right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I got stuck, but I wanted to give you guys the best quality writing so... Here. The long awaited chapter. Here's what really happened.

The plan was going far smoother than Jumin expected. No one at Mint Eye seemed to be expecting the onslaught of helicopters that surrounded the building. Jumin watched with satisfaction as the disciples of Mint Eye scrambled about in the courtyard below them. The helicopter circled around, throwing light off of the metallic walls. There were two rows of seats, situated across from each other, like a booth in a restaurant. A panelled wall with a plexiglass window separated the seating area from the cockpit. Vanderwood sat across from him, leopard-print jacket thrown loosely over his shoulders. The man was an enigma, surprisingly capable of keeping his face neutral, despite his abrasiveness.  He was leaning forward, resting his chin on the bridge formed by his hands, an expression on his face tha Jumin couldn’t read.

 

“You never told us what you intend to do,” he yelled over the whirr of helicopter blades. Jumin pulled a handgun out of his inner suit pocket. He twirled it between his fingers.

 

“I’m backup as well.” Jumin yelled back equally loud. “My father and I used to go to shooting ranges. I liked practicing on the targets. I may not be as good as you, but I am a fair shot.”

 

“Killing people is a far cry than shooting at a target.” Vanderwood pointed out.

 

He was right, of course. Killing people is nothing like shooting a target. He decided it’d be better to shoot from the helicopter, that way he wouldn’t have to see the pain he’d inflicted on other people. The thought itself made him nauseous, but he had been hiding his emotions for years. His face betrayed nothing. Suddenly the helicopter lurched, not helping the uneasy feeling in Jumin’s stomach. He opened his mouth to question what had happened when he noticed a thick plume of smoke.

 

“Sorry, sirs! We’ve been hit!” The pilot yelled, voice crackling over the intercom. “ Please grab a parachute. You’ll have to jump.” Jumin shakily reached for the parachute, strapping it on. He stood, throwing open the door of the helicopter. The ground was rapidly approaching, but Jumin couldn’t seem to get his legs to work. Before he realized what was happening, a pair of hands shoved him out of the plummeting vehicle. Jumin twisted and flailed. His breath was caught in his throat. The ground was getting closer and closer, a sure sign of his impending doom.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Vanderwood smoothly diving towards the ground. He was streamlining himself, easily catching up to the flailing corporate heir. His eyes were trained on the ground, as he spread out his arms and legs to slow the fall. 

 

“On the count of three, open your parachute!” He yelled. Jumin could barely hear him over the wind rushing in his ears. 

 

One!

 

Two!

 

Three!

 

Jumin and Vanderwood simultaneously opened their parachutes. Relief flooded through Jumin as he felt his fall slowing. There were sounds of gunshots somewhere below. Something whizzed by his ear. Sudden dread coiled in his stomach as he heard a loud rip. Vanderwood was screaming something at him. He couldn't hear. He began to fall faster. His heart was in his throat and he closed his eyes. He had somehow twisted himself in the ropes of the parachute so he was facing upward. His hair tickled his cheek. The sounds of screaming seemed muted, like they were underwater, and a strange sense of calm filled him. Telling him to give up. Telling him to let go. Telling him that he had already lived life to the fullest. He could give up now. He could forget about everyone. 

  
  


Rika. 

 

Zen.

 

_ Zen. _

 

His eyes shot open. He couldn’t die here. There were so many things he wanted to do. Things he needed to do. People he needed to save.

 

He quickly assessed the damage. The parachute wasn’t fully functional, but still had enough surface area to slow the fall. There was a throng of trees nearby. Perhaps if he could guide the parachute towards the trees, he’d be able to stop his descent before he hit the ground. He twisted, leaning as much weight as he could towards the grove. He began to drift toward the trees. He felt his muscles cramping up. The ropes were digging into his back and arms, as the ground raced closer and closer towards him.

 

He couldn’t make it. There was no possible way that his parachute would hit the grove before he hit the ground. There was nothing he could do, except brace for impact. He twisted himself to the side and curled up into a ball, to minimize damage to any vital organs. He squeezed his eyes shut.

 

There’s only one thing more frightening for Jumin Han than the sense of his impending doom, and that was the fact that he couldn’t see it. He felt like he had been falling for too long, but also not long enough. There was no inbetween. He could only hear the wind whistling in his ears. He hoped that Vanderwood would have the sense to complete the mission, without him. He had never believed in luck, but if there was one time he had wished he was lucky, it was now. He held his breath. Luck. That’s all he had right now. And for some reason he could hear Zen’s voice in his head, taunting him.

 

_ “Where’s your precious money now?” _

 

Jumin couldn’t remember the last time his body had been in this much pain. It was quickly obvious to him that he had shattered a rib, possibly several. His breathing was coming out in labored gasps as he forced air in and out of his lungs desperately. The impact had left him sprawled and breathless, but surprisingly no head injuries. His shoulder had popped loudly on impact, causing pain to shoot down his arm into his fingers. He may have twisted his ankle as well, but it was hard to tell where the pain was coming from since it was everywhere. He groaned. Someone roughly grabbed his arms pulling them over his head. He heard a scream, taking far too long to realize it was his own voice. The pain was unbearable. He gritted his teeth, chewing on his lip until he tasted blood as the person dragged him towards the building. He felt his eyes slipping shut. No… He had to stay awake! He had to. His thoughts swirled as he desperately tried to keep his eyes open, but to no avail. The pain was too much, and it wasn’t long before he succumbed to darkness, the bitter tang of blood still in his mouth.

 

When Jumin woke up he felt sharp stabs of pain, all over his body. He instinctively winced, causing the hand stroking his hair to stop.

 

Wait.

 

Someone was stroking his hair? He peeled his eyes open to see a heartachingly familiar face hovering over him, eyebrows knitted together in concern. 

 

“Zen.” He whispered, his voice scratchy from all the screaming.  

 

The young man frowned. “What the hell are you doing here, Trust Fund?” His voice held no malice in it. “We were all counting on you to help us escape.”

 

“Escape?” He croaked. He had been too fixated on the fact that his head was resting in Zen’s lap to realize where he was. “Oh… The plan failed.” Then his eyes widened. “Wait.. you’re not drugged?”

 

“Not anymore.” Zen replied, shaking his head. 

 

Despite the bleak situation, Jumin felt relief. “I thought… you hated me.” His voice cracked on the last syllable, tears springing into his eyes. Dammit. Why was he being so emotional?

 

Zen sighed and ran a hand through his own hair. He then winced at his own action, bringing Jumin’s attention to the numerous scars littering Zen’s skin. Most of them were faded, due to the actors unnatural healing ability, but there had been prominent new gashes splayed across his chest and stomach. Jumin suddenly realized he had been staring as Zen gave him a weak smirk. It was a hollow attempt compared to his normal, confidant one. “Like what you see?” He asked. His voice was wavering, and he could see the insecurity in his red eyes. His narcissism was a coping mechanism and now Jumin could clearly see that he had lost all confidence in his looks.

 

“Yes.” Jumin replied after a minute. “I do.”

 

Zen’s eyes widened in shock. He laughed gruffly. “Didn’t anyone teach you it’s rude to lie?”

 

“I’m not lying, Hyun.” The actor flinched at the use of his real name. Jumin sighed. Here it was again. Zen hated him, didn’t he. “Do… Do you hate me?” He whispered. He hated how insecure and whiny his voice sounded.

 

Zen shook his head. “I never did.” Something about this seemed familiar, albeit reversed. “Quite the opposite actually.”

 

Jumin could actually feel his heart swell with hope. “The opposite?”

 

“What’s the opposite of hate, idiot?”

 

“Love.” He could swear Zen had a blush on his cheeks. “You love me.”

 

He could hear Zen exhale softly. “Yeah. I might as well say it before we all die here.”

 

“What happened to bright and positive Zen? I could use some of that right now.” Jumin could see the confusion in his eyes. He couldn’t seem to see how anyone could be positive in this situation.

 

“I- Hey! I just confessed my feelings, aren’t you going to say anything back? If you don’t like me at least have the courtesy to-” Zen’s breath hitched as Jumin reached up, pulling the hand resting in his hair to his lips and kissing the inside of his palm. “Wh… what?”

 

“I love you too.” The silence that followed was almost deafening as Zen kept opening and closing his mouth, searching for the right words to respond. He ran a hand through his hair again, which Jumin now knew to be a sign of distress. Why was he feeling distressed? Shouldn’t he be happy? Suddenly Zen let out a breathy laugh.

 

“You love me.” He said, like he couldn’t quite believe it. 

 

“Yes, is that strange?” 

 

Zen relaxed into an easy smile and began combing through Jumin’s hair again with his fingers. “No.. no. It makes me happy. Very happy.” 

 

“I’m glad.” Jumin murmured, before closing his eyes again. He felt safe, lying on Zen’s lap like this. He felt content. He could feel Zen shifting slightly, his hand disappearing from Jumin’s hair. He frowned, but before he could open his eyes, he felt Zen’s lips press against his. They were chapped and dry but Jumin could care less. It was heaven. It was also far too short, Zen pulling away almost immediately and stroking Jumin’s hair once more. Jumin looked up at the actor to see his eyes shining. His lips were curved into a gentle smile, like the ones Jumin had longed to see directed at him. 

 

No.

 

This was a different smile. A smile meant  _ only  _ for him. 

 

“Get some rest Jumin. You’re going to need if we’re going to figure out a way to escape.” Zen’s voice was soothing, and Jumin felt like his heart could burst. When was it last that Zen had called him by name? It felt wonderful to hear. It was quiet, save the sound of Zen’s slightly labored breathing and his fingers running through the CEO-in-line’s hair, and he could feel himself slowly losing consciousness again. He murmured one last thing before letting sleep take him.

 

“There’s my bright and positive Zen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "humans were never meant to go more than 2 feet off the ground. this was a huge mistake. splat"
> 
> -Vionvend when I asked for help.
> 
> Also Jumin your gay is shining.


	20. PSA

Hi

So this your author speaking. I hope you've been enjoying your ride aboard angst airlines. We've got some minor turbulence, unfortunately.

That is I tore my ACL and recently got the surgery to fix it. I was planning on making a lot of new chapters this week but due to the pain of recovery I'm finding it hard to focus on my writing. It's not like I had a consistent update schedule anyway... I'm just letting you know that this week isn't the week where I establish one. 

Also I'm worried that I might project my pain onto the characters, making this fic a lot angstier than intended (aren't I benevolent for sparing you all. Bow down) 

So I'll be back with some fresh off the stove angst later. 

That concludes this announcement. If you wanna scream at me (you so will once I publish what I have in mind for the next chapter) contact Vionvend. She should be happy to scream at me for you. 

Thank you for flying angst airlines and just know that now you can never get off because if you do we may never reach the fluff. Because of your decision, everyone will get the bad end. So no jumping out, with or without parachutes. 

The parachute thing didn't work out so well for Jumin anyway.


	21. Burning Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were so many things he needed to know. 
> 
> But the biggest one was why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaaaackkk :)

Yoosung had slowly been losing hope. He watched as the guards dragged in a limp Jumin, tossing him into Zen’s cage. Zen had immediately scrambled forward despite the pain and pulled Jumin into his arms, frantically checking for a pulse. Yoosung vaguely remembered the bet he and Seven had made. Had it only been week ago when they had been betting on when the actor and corporate heir would get together? It didn’t feel like it. He could hear Zen sigh in relief, dragging himself back to rest against the bars of the cage and pulling Jumin’s head into his lap. Yoosung turned away. Seven was blinking up at him from his position curled up into his side, a weak smile on his face. 

 

“Looks like I’m gonna win.” He rasped out. 

 

Yoosung returned the smile. “Yeah. It looks like it.” 

 

He wanted more than anything for this to go back to normal. He tangled his hands through his boyfriend’s once red hair. It was now matted with dust and dirt, the color dulled. He just wanted everything to go back to the way…

 

No.

 

It wouldn’t happen. He thought back to V’s visit. Nothing would ever be the same. He hadn’t told anyone about V. He didn’t know what to say. All V had done was stumble in to ‘check on them’, act like he was blind, then stumble back out with the help of the very people who put them in there. All the while making false promises. About how he’d get them out. And then something had changed. The next time he was in here, he was tortured to near death. What had changed? Who was running this place? What had V done to be out of favor with them?

 

_ “You’ll be my next toy. Once I break this one, you’ll be next.” _

 

The man’s words echoed in his head. He was scared. No matter how much he resented V, he didn’t deserve that. He had made Rika happy, even if it was for the shortest time.

 

He felt Seven flick the center of his forehead, where his brows were furrowed. “What are you thinking so hard about?” 

 

“Nothing.” Yoosung shook his head. Seven hadn’t been conscious to see V both times. And Yoosung didn’t quite want to tell him.

 

Seven obviously didn’t believe him, his face morphing into one of concern. “Yoosung… do you have something you’re not telling me?”

 

“So what if I do? You and V have plenty you’re not telling me.” Yoosung snapped back. Seven just bit his lip. He didn’t have anything to say. They silently looked at each other and Yoosung could see the glimmer of hurt in his boyfriend’s eyes. 

 

Guilt twisted in his stomach. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I didn’t mean to snap.”

 

Seven struggled to sit up and pulled Yoosungs head in to rest on his chest. “No… I’m sorry for all the secrets. But…”

 

“You can’t tell me.” The younger boy just sounded resigned. He wanted to believe his boyfriend knew nothing about this But… V was here. And he seemed welcome here, at some point. And Seven and V shared everything…

 

He felt his cheeks burn in shame. He was doubting his boyfriend. The person who had risked his life to get him back. “Seven. Did you know about this place?”

 

Seven’s breath tickled his scalp. “No…  I didn’t. I had no idea what this was, except for all the research I did to get Zen back.” 

 

“Does V know about this place?” He could feel the hacker stiffen. Yoosung bit his lip in anticipation.

 

“I… I don’t know.” His voice had a hard edge to it. “But for his sake I hope he doesn’t. If he does, I don’t know what I’d do to him.”

 

The underlying threat in his voice startled Yoosung. Seven didn’t know. V had betrayed Seven too. Anger began to bubble in his stomach. V had betrayed them all. He sighed. His emotions kept him occupied for hours, only to be interrupted by Seven whispering in his ear cockily.

 

“I win. They kissed.” Yoosung turned and looked at the newly-made couple in the cage next to them and smiled

 

“Oh thank goodness. The tension was unbearable.” He whispered back. Zen shot them a glare, but it didn’t have it’s intended effect. The actor was still smiling. If only this had happened in any other place. Not here. It sent him spiraling back into his thoughts again.

 

_ What side was V on? _

 

These people had hurt him. But he had been keeping secrets from the RFA. As he continued to puzzle over V’s loyalties, the doors to the chamber swung open. His eyes widened as the guards shoved MC into the room. She was handcuffed, being forced to walk towards the stone slab. Her eyes scanned the cages. He could clearly see the regret on her face. The guilt. 

 

_ I’m sorry,  _ her eyes seemed to be saying.

 

_ I tried. _

 

Yoosung felt the arm around him tighten as they spun her around and forced her to her knees so she was facing the doors. And then the doors opened. Yoosung could vaguely hear Zen telling Jumin to stop moving, apparently having woken up at the sound of the opening door,  but it all faded to white noise as  _ she  _ walked in.

 

Her hair was as long and golden as he remembered it, curls cascading past her shoulders. She was wearing robes of gold, black and blue. She looked almost regal. She looked at Seven first. He could feel his boyfriend tense behind him.

 

“Hello, Luciel.” It was undoubtedly her voice. 

 

When Seven replied his voice was cold. “Why is  _ he  _ here? What did you do to him?”

 

She just laughed. “I only helped him. You’re the one who abandoned him.” 

 

That laugh wasn’t hers. When she laughed, she could light up the world. This laugh was cold. It made his heart thud in terror. Seven was rigid behind him. 

 

“You-” He sounded so broken. Yoosung looked up to see his eyes darting back and forth between her and the man behind her. He hadn’t even noticed the other man come in. The one with the white hair. He was wearing a suit this time, with a chain linking the collar. He had been so focused on her.

He shifted his gaze back to the woman. She smiled almost kindly at him. Despite that, her green eyes seemed empty. She didn’t belong here. She was dead. She had been for 2 years. The dead don’t come back.

 

“Yoosung. How is college going? I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for your graduation.” Her voice was sweet. Too sweet. His brain hurt. 

 

“Rika.” He whispered. 

 

She smiled. That horribly empty smile. 

 

The guard closest to him scowled. “You dare address our Savior by name?” His voice was gruff. 

 

“Savior?” Yoosung echoed. He stared blankly at the guard, then back at Rika. 

 

“That’s right. Have some respect for the one who is saving you all. The founder of Mint Eye. The Savior.” 

 

Yoosung’s eyes widened. He couldn’t feel anything. Hear anything. The founder of MInt Eye. Rika just looked calmly at him.

 

She was still smiling.

 

“Welcome to paradise, Yoosung Kim.” She said simply. He could barely register her walk away. All his questions were burning in his throat, but only one of them seemed to matter.

 

_ Why? _

 

Seven’s lips brushed against his ear as he whispered. “Are you okay?”

 

It was a stupid question. They both knew it. 

 

“No.” Yoosung choked out. Seven squeezed him tighter.

 

“Yoosung…” Seven trailed off unsure of what to say. 

 

“Seven, that can’t be her. She’s not like this.” Hie mind raced, trying to figure out a reason.

 

_ Why? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wasn't too bad was it. That's okay. We're starting slow. Don't worry. It all goes downhill really fast. Like next 2 to 3 chapters fast. Stay tuned my dear readers.


	22. Mint-Colored Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Insanity creeps. Darkness stays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cackles*

MC’s suspicions were confirmed the moment Yoosung had said her name. Rika. The founder of the RFA. And now, the founder of Mint Eye. The handcuffs were digging into her wrists, but it was nothing compared to the pain and confusion she saw in each member’s eyes. Seven looked so hurt, as he studied the boy that had trailed in behind her.. Yoosung looked bewildered and anguished. Zen looked none too surprised. He had warned them after all. And Jumin… Jumin looked like his worst nightmare had come true. 

 

The woman walked to each and every one of them and greeted them cordially, as if she hadn’t locked them up and whipped them to near death. As if she wasn’t the reason they were in pain.

 

“Oh shut up will you?” MC snapped at her, cutting off her monologue to Jumin. She was saying something about how she had missed him. Bullshit. 

 

Rika finally turned to her. She had a polite smile coated on her face, obviously fake, and somehow there were no hints to the true emotions she possessed. “And you. MC. Ray couldn’t figure out what that stood for. What does it stand for?”

 

“It stands for fuck off.” MC deadpanned back. 

 

Rika didn’t even look fazed. “You’re bold.” She then turned to the guards. “Take her to my quarters. I’d like to have a discussion.” She barely had time to process that statement before the guards hoisted her up off of her knees and began shoving her towards the door. Zen shouted her name, and she could hear the worry laced in his voice. There was nothing they could do. She flashed them all her best reassuring smile as the guards jabbed at her back, forcing her back out the door.

 

All the halls looked the same. Whitewashed walls and black tiling. Even the stairs were black, with a silver railing. She could have sworn she’d be hypnotized by the time they reached the top of the four flights of stairs. When they reached the landing, MC wanted to carve her eyes out. The layout was the exact same as the hallways below with one key difference. There were so many doors, too many to keep track of. Every now and then, splashes of mint green adorned the walls in the shape of an eye. The eyes were eerie, in the sense that MC couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her only glimmer of hope was that Jaehee had avoided capture. They finally stopped their dredge through the maze of identical halls before a door. It didn’t look anything out of the ordinary. The only indicator that this door was more important than any other door in this goddamned building was the golden trim and handle. 

 

Rika passed MC and opened the door, her strides as regal as ever. Everything about her demanded attention, and she was too busy gawking to notice that the guards were pushing her again. She stumbled into the room. Rika was already seated in a plush chair. She flicked her hands dismissively at the guards and seconds later the door clicked shut. Dread settled heavily in MC’s stomach. 

 

“Have a seat.” Rika’s voice was pleasant, almost like a lullaby. MC hated it. She hated everything about this place, the monotonous halls, the believers in their identical hoods. The only room that seemed remotely different was the basement with it’s cages and dingy concrete walls. Not that that was any better. She sat down across from Rika, aware of the taut frown on her own face.

 

“Why are you doing this to them?”

 

Rika pursed her lips together. “V caused this. I never wanted to hurt them.” 

 

MC swallowed. “V did not cause this. You’re lying.”

 

“MC, do you believe that the ones you love have the ability to change you?”

 

MC immediately thought of Jaehee. Jaehee was her tether. Before she had met her, she was hot headed and brash. She never cared about consequences. She did as she pleased. She always felt like she had something to prove. But after meeting Jaehee, she felt like she could rest. That she didn’t have to prove anything to the world. She could just  _ live.  _

 

“Yes.” She replied softly. 

 

“Then you must know that I loved V. I loved him so much, and he loved me. He was my light. Darkness has always followed me wherever I went. It has been plaguing me from birth. And his light, it was nothing like I had ever experienced.” Rika’s eyes were glimmering with tears. 

 

_ Light. _

 

MC could see what she meant. When Jaehee was with her, she felt like the world had become brighter. “So what changed?”

 

“Darkness never leaves a person.” And there it was. That empty look that MC had seen before. “Darkness resides within me.  _ It is me.  _ And if V’s light was vanquishing my darkness,  _ then he was killing me. _ ”

 

And then she smiled. It was the smile of a woman who was too far gone.  _ The darkness was her.  _ In her mind, she was a part of it. A part that couldn’t be taken away. It felt like a slap to the face. To see that she could never come back.

 

“I begged him to stop. He was hurting me. He was hurting my darkness. But he had the foolish notion that he could save me. That his light was good for me. So I had to leave. Don’t you see? He made me what I am. If he had accepted my darkness, my devil, we  would have been fine.  _ His love was poisonous. _ ”

 

MC sucked in a breath. “Rika…”

 

Her face turned to one of surprise. “You understand. You see it, don’t you? The darkness?” MC simply nodded, and watched as that surprise morphed into glee. “You see the darkness.”

 

“Rika, you… what V did…” MC struggled to find words, but gave up, moving on to an easier question. “So why hurt the RFA?”

 

“I’m not hurting them. I’m saving them from V. V has poisoned their minds. I’m here to cleanse them. To purify them.”

 

MC swallowed dryly. “Why-”

 

She was cut off instantly. “Some people can only find salvation in darkness. Surely you see the darkness in them.”

 

MC bit her lip. Her logic made no sense. Everyone had a bit of darkness in them. That didn't mean this was the way to save them. “I do Rika, but everyone has darkness within them.” 

 

One look at Rika and MC knew that reasoning with her was fruitless. “Precisely. Hasn't everyone suffered enough for their flaws? Humanity is a dark race. We need to learn to embrace that darkness.”

 

“You're saving them from the toxic light.” MC murmured. She understood Rika's flawed mentality. And she could see why it had appeal to anyone who had lost hope of acceptance.  _ But this isn't the way _ .

 

The other woman's eyes were shining. “You understand. Tell me, MC. Can you do what V couldn't? Can you embrace my devil?”

 

MC pitied Rika. She understood what Rika meant, and yet she also knew that it took a twisted childhood to bring her to this point. Past the point of no return. She dodged the question. “Rika… you said the ones we love can change us. Did you… change V? If he loved you, he would have changed too, right?”

 

Rika pondered this, opening her mouth several times to speak, but finding no words. She couldn't seem to figure out what to say. “I don't know.” She said finally. And she sounded so scared and broken. 

 

“I think what you both had was not love. It was obsession. “

 

“Obsession?” Her eyes widened. “You're saying that it wasn't love, it was obsession?” Then her face twisted into a scowl. “No. That's not possible. No.” 

 

“Rika…”

 

“NO!” She screeched. She seemed crazed “Only love could have changed me like this. That's the only way. How could it be obsession? That's not possible!”

 

“Rika. Maybe…” MC could hear the pity coloring her own voice. 

 

“I don't want to hear it.” She hissed. Hot tears were trailing down her cheeks. “ It can't be an obsession. It was love.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “How dare you. Get out of my sight.”

 

“Rika. Listen.”

 

“It’s not obsession!” Her once soothing voice had shot up an octave and risen in volume. “Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” Her hands shot up to clench at her head. MC stumbled back out of her chair, unable to take her eyes off of Rika. Tears were dripping onto the coffee table. Her golden curls were fisted in her hands, and she looked ready to tear them out. All this vehement denial did was increase the pity in MC’s heart. 

 

“Rika…” She whispered softly. She didn't know what to say.

 

“Guards! Get her out! Get her out of here! You don't know our love! You don't!” The door swung open instantly and MC felt herself being dragged away. She didn't struggle. She just stared at Rika, tears springing in her own eyes. Here was a woman that society had broken beyond repair. She couldn't bring it in herself to hate that. She could only pity it. 

 

The guards dragged her back to the basement and threw her in a cage. She blearily tried to sit up, the heaviness of what she just saw settling in her throat when she heard a soft gasp.

 

“MC?!”

 

No. That was the one voice she didn't want to hear.  _ Not in this place.  _

_ Jaehee. _

 

MC turns around so fast she could've gotten whiplash. “They caught you?!” She hissed. Jaehee had already zeroed in on the shackles binding her wrists.

 

“What happened? Why are you the only one chained up?” Jaehee crawled towards her and fiddled with the chains, trying to find a way to break them. 

 

“Jaehee,” MC pulled the chains away from her and swiveled around so she could see her clearly. Her breath caught in her throat. “You're hurt.”

 

Jaehee's right eye was swollen shut, a nasty shade of purplish-black. MC reached out and brushed her fingertips against the bruise. Her pity for Rika was quickly dissipating as she took in the various other marks on her skin. How dare they hurt Jaehee. Her light. Jaehee grasped MC's hand and pulled her into her lap, her other arm wrapping around her waist. 

 

“I'm alright. I just put up a fight.” She murmured, kissing her cheek. 

 

“But Rika…” MC started. She didn't quite know where she was going with that. She could hear Yoosung call her name two cages away.

 

“What did she say? MC is she being held hostage? She is right? That's the only way… She wouldn't.” The boy sounded so hurt. So scared. Her heart ached. She pitied Rika, but it didn't justify  _ this.  _

 

“She's not being held hostage. I told you, Yoosung. She runs this place.” Zen said sullenly before MC had the chance to reply.

 

“You were drugged! What the hell do you know?!” Yoosung snapped.

 

Zen flinched. When he next spoke he sounded wounded. Oh God. Why was this happening to them? What sort of twisted salvation was this? “I'm sorry.” The actor whispered. “I… I tried to resist I-”

 

“Zen.” Jumin called out. MC could see him squeeze Zen’s hand. Zen looked at Jumin. A look of desperation. Helplessness. “It's not your fault.” Zen just closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bars of the cage.

 

MC took a deep breath. “Zen's right Yoosung. She runs the place. She knows what she's doing.”

 

A sob tore through the air, accompanied by Seven whispering words of comfort. “Why… why would she…”

 

“She's not sane, Yoosung. Her mental state… it's deteriorated. She’s no longer herself.” 

 

“But she was healthy before.” Jaehee said softly. “Why would she go insane now?” MC noticed how calm her girlfriend seemed about Rika being alive. Oh yeah. Zen had warned them. She looked up at Jaehee. The one eye that wasn't injured was filled with so many questions. Questions they didn't have the answers to.

 

“I don't know. Maybe we don't know the full story about this. Did… did any of you notice anything? Did V mention anything?” MC looked desperately at everyone. Zen shook his head. 

 

“No.” Jumin said softly. “He never said a thing.” There wasn't much she could discern from his voice. It seemed as steady as ever. But Zen seemed to notice something, bending down to kiss Jumin's forehead and whisper something against his skin.

 

Yoosung had quietened his sobs by burying his face into Seven's scarred chest. Seven shook his head, his glasses glinting in the dim light. 

 

Finally Jaehee spoke up. “This… place. It's called Mint Eye, yes?” She pressed on not waiting for an answer. “Rika mentioned it once. At the last party we held.”

 

Yoosung’s head shot up, purple eyes wide. Zen was staring at her like she had grown another head. Seven had his lips pressed into a line.

 

“She… she was telling me to follow my heart. And I asked her where her heart led her.” Jaehee’s heart was pounding in sync with MC's own. She could feel Jaehee's arm tighten around her. Her mouth felt dry.

  
“And her response was:  _ Mint-Colored Eye.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that moment at the top of the highest hill on a rollercoaster? The kind where you can feel your heart pounding out of your chest. You can see the entire track ahead of you and you can see all the twists and turns. You can feel your stomach flopping, in fear or excitement, you don't know. All you know that it's a long and wild way down. 
> 
> This is that moment.
> 
> Hold on tight.
> 
> Well in this case you're riding it blindfolded ofc
> 
> Except Vionvend. 
> 
> I guess she has something more translucent over her eyes.


	23. Vi Ruins Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drink or be.... Kidnapped??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Serious Chapter?
> 
> Nah.

The door to the dungeon opened suddenly, but it didn't seem to faze anyone, Jaehee noted. They all looked at the man wheeling in a cart dully. His cart was carrying a peculiarly colored beverage. With an almost rehearsed motion, Yoosung disentangled himself from Luciel's arms and responded to an unspoken question.

 

“Flogged.” 

 

The man reached for his belt and pulled out a whip. Jaehee's eyes widened. No. These kinds of things only happened in Zen’s plays. She watched in abject horror as the lashes landed on Yoosung's back. The college student was crying out in pain. Luciel was looking at the ground. Jaehee looked away as well. MC, who had fallen asleep in Jaehee's arms, started awake at the sound of Yoosung's agony. Jaehee covered her eyes before she could see.

 

“Jaehee, what-” MC tried to pry her hands away.

 

Jaehee refused to budge. The screams stopped, silence settling heavily over the room. And then Luciel's voice rang out.

 

“Flogged.”

 

It continued like that, the man moving from Luciel to Zen. One horrible scream after another. Until it was silent and she could hear the question.

 

“Drink or be flogged.”

 

Jumin opened his mouth to respond but Zen covered it. “Drink!” He blurted out. His eyes were glassy but somehow determined. “He'll have the drink.”

 

Jaehee could vaguely hear Jumin protesting from behind Zen’s hand. Zen just grabbed a bottle and forced its contents down his lover's throat. Jumin choked on the liquid, and Jaehee could see Zen shaking with sobs.

 

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You'll die if he whips you and I can't-” He pulled the bottle away and tossed it aside, before crumpling down on himself, burying his face in his hands. His body shook with every aching sob and every rattling breath.

 

“It's okay.  _ Hyun. _ Listen to me, it's okay.” Jumin  rasped out. Zen didn't stop crying despite Jumin's comforting words.

 

The cart wheeled towards their cage and the only thought in Jaehee's mind was how she was going to protect MC. She just couldn't let that happen to her. But to her surprise, the man skipped over MC, looking directly at her.

 

“Drink or be flogged.” Jaehee couldn't help but notice the man's striking resemblance to her former boss.

 

MC wrenched Jaehee's hand off of her. “What about me?”

 

The man shrugged. “The Savior hasn't deemed you worthy of salvation.”

 

Before MC could open her mouth, Jaehee interjected. “Flogged.”

 

The man reached for his belt, ignoring MC's desperate pleas for mercy. Jaehee kissed her forehead and gave her a solemn smile. And MC… God it hurt Jaehee to see her like this. She was gripping at Jaehee's shirt, tears in her eyes, alternating between begging her and yelling at the man. 

 

Jaehee didn't even notice the first lash coming. But she felt it. It was like her very veins were set on fire as she writhed away. MC had stumbled back in shock. Jaehee gritted her teeth as the whip tore easily through her shirt and sliced open her skin. Pain  _ erupted.  _ There was no other word for it. She could vaguely see through her eye blurred with tears. MC was trying to stop the man. Pointless. There was a strange buzzing in her ears as she felt lash after lash on her arms. It  _ stung. _ She felt like she was floating and drowning in pain at the same time. In her mind, she did the one thing she could do.  _ Pray. _

 

And then the pain stopped. The sound of the rickety cart wheeling away and her girlfriend’s sobs replaced the strange buzzing. All she felt was numb. She curled up into a ball on the floor of the cage and shut her eye. She just wanted to rest.

 

of course, she wouldn’t be that lucky. there were sounds of a struggle outside, and suddenly the door flew open, revealing a battered girl, hardly more than twenty.

 

“you know movies always make fighting seem so easy. wait, are you all in cages? that’s kinda kinky”

 

looking around the room, she took in the surprised faces. yoosung was hiding behind seven, who had subtly moved to block the opening of the cage door, and zen curled around jumin, hissing.

 

“you sound like a fucking cat.”

 

he sneezes.

 

“okay then. well, you’re all guys, so thanks, but no thanks.” she was too gay for them. rip the guys of the rfa. “where’s jaehee?”

 

seven hesitated to answer, but yoosung extended a trembling finger in jaehee and mc’s direction.

 

swiveling on the spot, the girl strode over to the cage they had pointed at. kneeling down, she looked into jaehee’s eyes. “hey! wanna get out?”

 

jaehee blinked. was she hallucinating? was this really happening? her view was obscured by mc moving in front of her, putting herself between her girlfriend and the intruder.

 

“you’re going to have to get through me if you want to touch her.”

 

the new person scowled. “sorry did i misspeak? im looking for  _ jaehee _ , not mc.”

 

from across the room, zen’s voice rang out. “what do you want from us?”

 

“the opportunity to be the gay hero, of course.” pulling out a ring of keys, she started inspecting each of them. “why did that damn guard need so many of these?”

 

jaehee couldn’t believe what she was hearing. maybe, just maybe, if she pinched herself, she’d wake up at home in her bed, mc sleeping beside her. it didn’t work. well, she was out of plans.

 

finally isolating the right key, the person unlocked the cage, swinging the door open. freedom was right there, all she had to do was move forward. beside her, mc hadn’t moved either, instead choosing to stare incredulously at their new savior.

 

she held the door open for a few moments, waiting for them to come out, before giving up with a huff of annoyance. “what the hell do you guys want from me?”

 

it was seven who responded first. “how can we trust you? we don’t know anything about you.”

 

“you can call me vi, im gay, and im here to save jaehee and mc’s sorry asses. if you’re a guy, guess it sucks to be you. capiche?”

 

mc was the first to recover. “either you save all of us, or we’re staying here.”

 

“you’d really rather stay here rather than get out where you can potentially form a plan to save them? fine by me, but jaehee’s leaving.”

 

mc scrambled back between her girlfriend and the cage door. “no way.”

 

vi moved back towards their cage. “i’m sorry, but your girlfriend here has some quite easily infected wounds. it’d sure be a pity if she died, simply because you were too selfish to let her go.”

 

well damn. mc didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. jaehee did need medical treatment. “then we’ll both go with you.”

 

vi’s face brightened. “perfect!” she rushed forward to hold the door open while the pair crawled out, mc supporting jaehee. moving to her other side, vi slid an arm around jaehee’s shoulders, helping support her weight.

 

looking back, mc could see the faces of the rest of the rfa, reactions ranging from yoosung’s horrified look to zen’s relieved one, and jumin’s blank expression as he lay passed out in zen’s lap. “i’ll come back for you, don’t worry.”

 

the three of them made it out the door and were greeted by the sight of the passed out jumin look-alike. vi passed him without faltering, and mc hurried to keep up.

 

“alright, so if we take a left here, and a right at the end, we can get out of this goddamn building.”

 

mc didn’t know if vi was telling the truth, but she had no choice but to escape. sure, she hadn’t done anything to harm them yet, but there was still the possibility.

 

they ended up in a large room full of large screens. “well, uh, this is not where i meant to end up.” mc couldn’t believe their luck. first rika, then this psycho stranger, and now they were at a dead end. she could see vi poking around, looking for something that could help them.

 

instead she found a giant red button. “it says ‘do not press’.” vi looked to the other two. “should i press it?”

 

honestly, mc didn’t see how this could get any worse. “go for it.”

 

a button press later, and they heard an explosion followed by screams from where the rest of the rfa had stayed. immediately followed by more explosions.

 

“oops.”

 

and then they all fuckin died lol.

  
  


What the actual fuck Vi. I let you hijack my fic and this is what happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my fault.
> 
> I encouraged her.
> 
> I'm sorry.


	24. Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray's free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Torture. Dissociative Identity Disorder.
> 
> IF YOU DO NOT LIKE GORE
> 
> DO NOT READ

Just in case you didn't read the notes:

TRIGGER WARNING: Torture. Dissociative Identity Disorder. 

Stay safe you all.

 

Ray quietly walked down the hall with V at his side. The Savior had decided that V had recovered enough to be tortured again. He could feel how weak the other man was. He could practically feel the bones where he was grabbing his arm to lead him to the dungeons. His grey shirt was in tatters, hanging loosely off his frame and Ray could see every single scar he had inflicted. He gritted his teeth and dragged V into the dungeon, forcing him to lie back on the stone slab. There was ring of bruises where Ray had grabbed him. Has his skin always been that easy to bruise? He could feel the RFA’s eyes on him, their gazes seemed to pierce straight through him. He felt sick. Not the fact that he was being judged by the RFA. They could hate him for all he cared. No, it was the simple fact that  _ he didn’t want to do this. _

 

He picked up his knife and it felt like the whole room was holding its breath. The silence was pierced by a scream. V’s scream. It seemed muted, almost distant to him, as he eyed the blade he had sunk into V’s thigh. He grasped the handle and twisted it, earning another agonizing yell that echoed through the room and brought tears to his eyes. He pulled the handle out again and jabbed it into a new spot. V had gripped his ragged T-shirt in his fists and was slowly tearing the fabric apart. There was blood on his lips, where he had bitten down to redirect the pain. Ray twisted. Another scream ripped out of V’s mouth. He could hear a clamor of voices from the cages. Yelling at him. Begging him to stop. He grasped the handle in trembling hands and stabbed the knife into the other thigh. His other hand came up to cover his mouth as he sobbed.

 

_ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorryI’msorryI’msorry _

 

“I’m sorry!” It took him a while to notice that the people in the cages had quietened down at his sudden declaration. He clenched the knife handle in his fist, not daring to look at them. Twist. V’s head rolled back, mouth open to scream, but the voice that was heard wasn't his. It was Ray’s. His scream seemed to take all the energy he had with it. He let go of the knife and sank to the floor. “Please, I’m sorry. V, forgive me. Please.” 

 

All he got in response was ragged breathing. Ray could feel his will slipping away.  _ No. He was coming. No.  _ He grasped his hair and tugged in an effort to ground himself but he could hear the words.

 

_ Useless. _

 

_ Weak. _

 

_ Pathetic. _

 

_ “ _ No! I'm not pathetic! Stop saying that! Stop saying that!” His voice cracked and he could feel the monster inside him beginning to come out. He could feel Saeran clawing his way to the surface of his mind.

 

“Weak.”

 

“Worthless.”

 

“Pathetic.”

 

“No…” Ray replied meekly.

 

Saeran tore at his magenta suit and tossed it aside.  **Pathetic.** That boy couldn't even finish a job. He grasped the knife and yanked it out of the wound in V’s thigh. “I should get rid of him soon.” And with that he stabbed the knife back into the wound and twisted it around. V had arched up trying to get away from the pain. It amused Saeran. He pulled the knife away and plunged it into V's side watching what little fabric covered it darken with blood. He then began to carve out each burn mark on his body. Engraving it into his skin. Delighting in the way he writhed under the tip of the blade. The photographer’s eyes rolled up into his skull and he dropped back down onto the stone slab like a ragdoll. Saeran stepped back to admire his handy work.

 

He eyed the wound on his thigh and tapped the bloody knife to his chin. He could feel V's blood sticking to him but he could care less. “Not big enough.” He laughed gleefully. His eyes lit up as he twisted the knife like a corkscrew back into the wound, taking delight in the way V’s body twitched as he toyed with the nerves underneath. He could hear a chorus of protests from the cages. Telling him to stop. Telling him V will die. He laughed. It was maniacal, filling the room so completely he almost missed the doors opening.

 

“Ray. Stop torturing him and come here. We’re having a meeting.” His Savior’s melodic voice filled the room. He wiped the blood off of his chin with the sleeve of Ray’s shirt. 

 

“My Savior, I’m not Ray. Ray is weak and pathetic. I’m not him.” He turned to face her, taking in her slightly shocked expression. And then her lips curved into a sweet smile. 

 

“Of course you’re not Ray. Ray would never have the guts to do this. Come now Saeran. We have things to discuss.” 

 

Saeran smiled and stowed his knife in his pocket. His Savior stepped forward, glancing past him to see the mess he had made of V. “Do you like it, My Savior? If he loses any more blood he’ll never wake up again.”

 

The woman snapped her fingers and two disciples rushed in with a gurney and slid V on to it. “Saeran. I told you to torture him, not kill him.” Her voice was cold, almost disapproving.

 

“I’m sorry, My Savior. I’ll be more careful. Will you let me play with him again?” 

 

She looked at him with a small smile. “We shall see. Now come, it’s time for the meeting.” She turned on her heel and walked to the door. Saeran trailed behind her, not sparing a single glance at the people in the cages. His eyes were trained on His Savior. His Savior approved of him. The thought filled him with a giddy glee. 

 

She approved of him.

 

Ray couldn’t stop washing his hands. Over and over again. He rubbed his hands under the steady stream of water from the tap, trying to wash off invisible blood stains that seemed to have seeped into his skin and refused to leave. His nails dug into his skin, as if he could pry out the blood on his hands but only succeeded in leaving little bleeding crescents behind. He bit his lip to stop himself from sobbing. Why was the Savior doing this to him? She seemed to like Saeran more now, constantly reminding him that he was weak and Saeran was strong. She was supposed to be the one person on his side. Now she too was leaving him in favor of someone stronger. 

 

_ She was supposed to love him unconditionally. _

 

_ Was he really that hard to love? _

  
  


Ray stood in front of the doors to the dungeon, dragging V on a gurney behind him. His nerves were severely damaged, paralysing him below the waist. He would never walk again. There were no more tears left to cry for Ray. Only the numb echo of thoughts ringing in his head in time with his heartbeat.

 

_ You did this to him. _

 

He lead V into the room, scanning the cages. Saeyoung looked deathly pale, almost sick. It filled him with a surge of pride. Yoosung was unmoving on the floor of the cage, the only sign of life being the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Zen’s eyes were even brighter in comparison to his sallow skin. Jumin was much the same. Jaehee and MC looked relatively healthy, but even their skin was beginning to lose color. He then looked at V, who was staring into the cages as well. There were tears tracing his cheeks. 

 

“Scream.” Ray said softly, before he could stop himself.

 

“What?” V rasped out, eyes swiveling to meet his mint green ones. 

 

Ray took a deep breath, steeling himself to what he was going to do. “Scream like I’m torturing you.” 

 

V’s eyes went from confusion to understanding and then to fear. “No… You’ll get in trouble Saera-”

 

“I’m not him! Don’t you dare say that name. Don’t you dare.” Ray felt like his brain was going to split. “I’m not him.”

 

“Ray… Rika will-”

 

“My Savior won’t hurt me. She loves me. You… Scream. I don’t want to do this. Please V. Scream.”

 

And he did. It was a loud scream that echoed off of the walls, trailing off into a cough and hiss of pain as he heaved his lungs out on the stretcher. And he screamed again. Blood dribbled down his chin. Ray glanced at the wound Saeran had made in V’s side. V was clutching it, tears springing to his eyes from the pain. He screamed like it was his last day on earth. Like nothing mattered. And Ray wished with all his heart that it was the last day. Then he wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

 

_ He’d be free. _

 

Someone grabbed his arm and pressed a bottle to his lips. It felt like acid, burning it’s way though his throat, He clawed at it helplessly, as tears blurred his vision. He hadn’t even heard the door open. The liquid was dribbling down his chin, but most of it was being forced into his mouth. There was no way he could escape this. He swallowed. 

 

“I never taught you to disobey me like this Ray. This is how useless you are. You can’t even listen to me. I thought you’d stay by my side forever, and now you’re helping him.”

 

“No, Savior.” He choked out, sending more elixir cascading to the floor.

 

“Look what you’ve done. You’re wasting the elixir.” His Savior said.

 

He shut his eyes, letting the liquid slide down his throat, setting fire to his insides. 

 

“There is no need for Ray here.”

 

Why did he ever think he meant something? He was worthless. His Savior had abandoned him. He could hear Saeyoung screaming his name, but he sounded distant. Far away. He was always far away. No matter how much he needed him, Saeyoung was always far away.

 

_ There was no one nearby. _

 

_ He was just that hard to love. _

 

The last words he heard before darkness overtook him shattered his heart. Although, now he was free.

 

“Goodbye, Ray.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So quick thing I want to point out. We're gonna assume that Rika gives them water okay. She wants them to stay alive, the worst torture of all. The human body can last only 2 days without water. It can last for around 21 days without food. They have not been given food. And in their weakened states, they probably won't reach the 21 day mark. It's been 17 days since Yoosung was kidnapped.
> 
> His time is almost up.


	25. Who You Were

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please, Bring my brother back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back  
> sorry for disappearing

Rice and dirt is not the best combination. Saeyoung had to learn that the hard way. His brother was pressing his boot into the back of his head, shoving him face-first into the rice scattered on the ground. 

 

“Eat, toy.” Saeran snarled, grinding his heel into his head. Saeyoung opened his mouth to appease him or retort somehow, but all he got was a mouthful of dirt and rice. Saeran grabbed him by jaw, and forcefully hauled him to his knees. Keeping his chin raised to prevent him from spitting it out, Saeran’s face split into a devilish grin. “Now swallow.”

 

Saeyoung did. When his twin finally let go of his jaw he coughed and sputtered. Saeran watched, amused. And then his boot collided with the redhead’s stomach, causing him to curl into fetal position. His coughs echoed through the room. “Sae… ran…” He choked out. Pleading with him. 

 

_ Please God, if even a bit of my brother is in there, bring him back to me. _

 

He received no such sign. “Hey, you better feed your boyfriend soon~” Saeran sang. “He’s almost dead.” He playfully kicked at Yoosung’s head, the toe of his boot colliding with the blonde boy’s forehead before Saeyoung could stop him. Yoosung groaned, cracking open one eye. 

 

“Seven?” He croaked. God he sounded so weak. Refusing to look up at the monster his brother had become, Saeyoung scooped up the rice scattered on the floor. 

 

“Is this drugged?” Saeyoung asked softly, looking up at his brother. He wasn’t expecting a straight answer, but this man was still his family. He had the best chance of knowing whether he was lying or not. 

 

Saeran snorted. “Do you think I’m nice enough to infuse elixir into your food? Do you think I’m nice enough to let all of you into paradise, when you’ve done so much wrong?” He paused to grip Saeyoung by the hair and smash his nose into the metal bars if the cage. There was loud, sickening crack that echoed through the room, punctuated by Yoosungs gasp. Saeyoung fell back, clutching at his bloodied nose. His entire face was on fire, tears blurring his vision. He could barely focus on what Saeran was saying. “Especially let you into paradise. You’re vermin.” 

 

There was nothing but seething hatred in his eyes as he turned on his heel and slammed the cage door shut behind him. Saeyoung watched as he went to the next cage, throwing open the door and dumping the rice onto the ground. He slowly pushed himself up onto shaking hands and knees, trying to navigate the cell through his blurry sight. He then set about collecting the grains of rice for Yoosung, ignoring the sharp pain in his definitively broken nose. This was fine. He had to get food for Yoosung first. 

 

He helped Yoosung sit up, the boy in question reaching out with trembling hands to cup the hacker’s face. Saeyoung stopped him, grasping both his hands in one of his own and pouring the rice into Yoosung’s mouth with the other. His boyfriend grimaced, but swallowed the soiled food. Saeyoung collapsed against the bars of the cages. He felt exhausted all of a sudden. Like all of his will had left him. Maybe he could just shut his eyes for a while. And go back to a time. Where Saeran had promised him. 

 

_ Promise me you’ll never change.  _

 

**_I promise._ **

 

_ They had locked pinkies. Did that mean nothing? What happened to that Saeran? _

 

He felt the familiar weight of Yoosung's head on his shoulder, the blond waves of his hair tickling his throat. He brought a hand up to stroke it, his eyes slipping shut. 

 

_ The room was old and musty, but vivid in his mind. From the dusty bookshelf in the corner, to the faded pink curtains that were thick enough to block out almost all light. Almost. There was a strip of sunlight on the floor and that’s where the two boys lay.  _

 

_ “You see here? This is a notebook. I’m going to give it to you so you can write stuff in it.” Saeyoung passed the brand new notebook to his brother, who accepted it wide-eyed.  _

 

_ “But what do I write?” Saeran opened the notebook, scanning the empty pages as if it would give him some clue.  _

 

_ Saeyoung smiled. “Anything you want. You could draw if writing’s to hard. _

 

_ Saeran seemed to like that idea, picking up his pencil and began to sketch. It was a childlike image of Saeran and Saeyoung holding hands. Saeran was holding a messily drawn ice cream cone and Saeyoung was holding a book. Saeran neatly labelled each part. He then reached out and grabbed the blue crayon. He painted the sky in a bright blue, coloring neatly around the clouds. And then he filled in the mop of hair on both of their heads a vibrant red.  _

 

_ He tapped Saeyoung’s shoulder and showed it to him. Saeyoung smiled. “Good job.” There was so much hope in Saeran’s honeyed eyes as he beamed at the praise. Saeyoung watched as he took up the pencil, holding it clumsily between his fingers. There were graphite stains on his fingertips as he began to write. _

 

**_Today Saeyoung gave me a notebook he got from the cathedral._ **

 

_ Saeyoung reached over and ruffled his brother’s hair before turning to his own notebook. He had filled it with code. Lines and lines of code. He looked back at the almost mundane diary entry of his brother and nearly choked back a sob. Praying silently in his head, he begged God to keep Saeran safe.  _

 

_ Please, no matter what you do to me, don’t make him change.  _

 

_ Keep him safe.  _

 

_ Promise me you won’t let him change.  _

 

“What good is that promise when change is inevitable?” His eyes snapped open to see Rika regarding him curiously from outside his cage. He blinked. Yoosung had turned his head away, refusing to meet his cousin’s eyes. 

 

“What?” Saeyoung rasped out, groggily. He instantly regretted it, his nose aching.    
  
Rika smiled. It looked almost sinister. “You were muttering in your sleep. You were asking someone to promise you not to change. I assume that you were dreaming about Saeran?” 

 

Saeyoung said nothing, but that silence spoke volumes. Rika’s smile stretched even wider. “Why would you want that? He’s become better. He’s no longer weak.”   
  
His voice was humming with barely concealed anger when he replied. “My brother was never weak.”

 

Rika opened her mouth to speak when her gaze fell to something at his feet. Rice. Rika stared at it, her features twisting into a frown. She snapped her fingers. One of the hooded men at the door glided to her side. It barely looked like he was walking, the robe concealing his feet. “Who gave them rice?” Rika’s voice was soft, as if she was trying not to get mad. 

 

“Master Saeran did.” The believer responded. Saeyoung’s eyes widened. Rika didn’t order them to be fed, that’s why she was mad. A smirk made its way across his face. Rika noticed it, her eyes widening.    
  


Her chest began to heave. “What did  you say to him?” She snarled. “Why is he with you now. Why has he not surrendered to the darkness.” She rattled the bars, looking in on them like a caged animal, Saeyoung nearly laughed out loud at the irony They were the ones in cages and yet she was the one trapped in her own pathetic, backward way of thinking. 

 

Saeyoung shrugged.    
  
“Saeyoung. Why don’t you help your brother. You can guide him on the right path. Join us.” Her voice had shifted from seething to disgustingly sugary. She snapped her fingers and the believer procured a bottle of the strange blue liquid from his robes. “Just drink this, I assure you it’ll do you good.”   
  
Yoosung let out a weak noise and gripped Saeyoung’s arm tighter. He still wasn’t looking at Rika. Saeyoung leveled his gaze, staring at the empty green eyes. “No.”

  
She sighed. “Your brother is absolutely worthless. He’s not strong enough to face his darkness. But you? You have the ability to be more than you are. I can give you anything you want. You’ll have your brother at your side. I’ll ever release and feed Yoosung.”   
  
Saeyoung froze, staring at the bottle. He was tired. Oh so tired of fighting. But he knew that what Rika promised wasn’t salvation. She snapped her fingers again, jolting the redhead’s attention to her. “I’ll give you 24 hours to think on it.” With that, the believer stowed away the bottle and Rika turned on her heel and left the room.    
  
Only later, upon reflecting did Saeyoung remember that the door was slightly ajar, and through it could be seen a flash of white hair with pink tips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahaha y'all don't know what's coming


End file.
